Dragon Guardian
by AngelOfTheTwilight
Summary: After the battle at the Dragon's nest, Hiccup and Toothless find themselves in a strange new world. Hiccup doesn't know that he was brought there for a reason. The Guardians need his help. And he will need theirs. But will he be strong enough to face the shadows inside himself?
1. Chapter 1 Alone

**Alone**

"It's a mess. You must feel horrible. You've lost everything: your father, your tribe, your best friend." Astrid said as she stared out over the vast sea. "Thank you for summing that up. Why couldn't I have killed that dragon when I found him in the woods? Would have been better for everyone." "Yep. The rest of us would have done it. But I guess you just never were one of us." "What? What's that supposed to mean Astrid?" "Face it Hiccup, it's better this way. That dragon is big, but they can beat it. Probably. Your father could." "And then what? They'll kill Toothless! I can't let that happen!" "He's just a dragon. You can't be friends with a dragon. You just can't. They're dangerous at best." "That's not what you were saying yesterday."  
"Oh come on Hiccup. I was just blown away by the thrill of flying. I admit flying is pretty awesome, but it isn't worth it." "You just don't understand do you Astrid?" Hiccup looked at her with utter disbelief and left. "I'd tell you not to do anything stupid, but you've already tried that. And failed." She shouted after him. "Then how about something crazy?" He muttered.

"If you're planning on getting eaten, I'd definitely go with the Gronckle!" Fishlegs was standing in the bleachers. Hiccup ignored him and the others that had gathered around the training dome. "What an idiot." Snotlout said. "This is gonna be good." Ruffnut added. So much for his 'friends'. Hiccup pulled the lever to release all the dragons at once. Much to everyone's surprise, they didn't tear him to shreds or turn him to ashes. In no time, he was petting them and they were purring like a bunch of overgrown cats. And when he mounted the Monstrous Nightmare, their eyes almost fell out of their heads. "Come on guys, lets get you out of here." He opened the gates and they flew into to sky, leaving the village behind fast.

It didn't take him long to reach the nest. The battle had already begun. The dragon was chasing the vikings like a fox chases chickens. Gobbler and Stoick were trying to draw its attention. He needed to help them as soon as he could. But he would need Toothless for that. It wasn't long before he spotted him. He'd have to hurry. The ships were already ablaze from the dragon's fiery breath. The Vikings would have no way of escape.

The Monstrous Nightmare swooped down and Hiccup jumped on the burning ship. Toothless let out a happy growl. "Don't worry buddy, I'll have you out of here in no time." The locks were easy to open as they had been made to withstand a dragon's strength rather then human intellect. "All right, just one more." Hiccup was so busy releasing Toothless from his chains he didn't notice the mast giving way. It hit him on the back of his head and he fell to the deck unconscious.  
The ship was already sinking. Toothless shot a fireball at the chains and broke free. He had to get Hiccup to safety. He heaved him onto his back and ran. He couldn't fly without Hiccup, but he was an amazing jumper. He jumped from rock to cliff and disappeared into the perpetual mist. Stoick followed them out of the corner of his eye.

Hiccup stirred in his sleep. His bed was much harder than it used to be. Slowly he opened his eyes and found himself face to face with his dragon companion. "Toothless!" He hugged the massive black beast. "Are you all right?" He nuzzled his head against Hiccups chest while making happy little cries. "Where... where are we?" Hiccup asked, finally becoming aware of his surroundings.  
They were standing on a cliff. The sea came peeking through the fog. They were at the edge of Helheim's Gate. "The dragon! Dad! Let's go Toothless!" He climbed on top of the Night Fury and together they flew of to the nest.

When they arrived, it was deserted. Not a dragon or viking in sight. The remnants of torched ships and catapult were strewn around. The embers still glowed. The mountain had been demolished too. "What happened here?" They flew a few rounds around the island and the surrounding cliffs, but they were all alone. "Come on Toothless, let's go to the village. I've got a bad feeling about this."  
When they cleared the mist, they could already see the smoke rising from Berk.

DGDGDGDGDGDGDGDG

"Wait here buddy. I'll be right back." Toothless gave him a concerned look and gently nudged Hiccup's back to convince him not to go. At least not without him. "Hey, it's all right. We saw people when we flew over didn't we? That's why it's safer if I go. I can't loose you again." Toothless stared down at his paws for a moment, but then he gave Hiccup a big lick. "Hehe. I love you too buddy. Don't worry ok? I'll be right back."

Hiccup ran through the woods. Branches scraped his face, but he didn't care. He needed to know what had happened. When he reached the edge of the village, it looked even worse. Not a single building was left in one piece. As a matter of fact, one piece was all that remained of most houses. He looked around for a familiar face amongst the weeping vikings. He had never seen such proud and fearless warriors in such despair. They didn't even notice him.  
"Astrid!" The blonde turned around and walked toward him. "Oh Astrid, I'm so glad you're safe. What happened?" He was caught off guard by a fist to his face. "A-Astrid? " "How dare you show your face here again! You dragon-huggin' traitor!" "Astrid, what are you talking about? What happened to everyone?" Her shouting was drawing attention. "I'll tell you what happened." "Dad!" Hiccup said and ran to his father. "I'm so glad you're alright!" He wanted to hug the rugged viking, but Stoick pushed him to the ground. "Dad?"

"Don't you dare call me that!" He bellowed. "I have no son!" Hiccup lay on the ground, shocked. He saw that his father was missing an arm. "You want to know what happened? I'll tell you. You happened. All of this happened because you tried to be friends with a dragon! At the nest, we were completely crushed. We never stood a change. Only a few of us managed to paddle back on driftwood, only to find the village raided. Look around you Hiccup!" Stoick said, gesturing at the handful of people standing around them. "We're all that's left!"  
Hiccup couldn't believe it! The dragons had raided the village. They had left nothing but a handful of humans. "The queen must have been hungry after the battle. If you had just killed that damn dragon none of this would have happened! Our blood is on your hands!" Astrid yelled. "You could have helped us. But you ran. You ran like a coward!" Stoick continued. "Well, at least you saved your precious dragon." "Dad, I'm..." "I HAVE NO SON!"  
Hiccup felt tears stinging in the corners of his eyes. This couldn't be happening. Sure, they didn't always see eye to eye, okay, they never agreed on anything, but they were still a family. They always had been.

"Men!" Stoick called. "Prepare the remaining ships! We set out at dusk! There is nothing left for us here." He turned to Hiccup once more. "Nothing at all." He turned his back to his son and walked away. The others started calling him a traitor, a coward, a devil. He didn't hear them. He only heard his father's words ringing in his ears. Tears streamed across his face when a stone hit his head. Everyone picked up stones and started to throw them. He ran before they decided to switch to more lethal projectiles.  
At the edge of the town he stoped for a moment. His father was walking toward the ships. He never even looked back. An ax buried itself deep into the tree next to him. He ran up the mountain, tears running down his face.

The sun slowly sank into the deep cerulean ocean, sparkling like a diamond. Hiccup watched the ships grew smaller with every passing moment. Something growled behind him. Toothless wasn't happy that Hiccup had not come back for him like he promised and now he had to walk all the way to the top of the mountain. Not to mention, he was worried sick. He growled at his friend. When Hiccup didn't respond, his expression became worried. Toothless walked up to Hiccup, only to find him staring out toward the vast sea. His face was blank, and his eyes were puffy and red.  
Toothless raised his head and followed Hiccup's gaze. When he spotted the ships, he understood. He purred softly as he sat down and wrapped his tail around Hiccup. He softly nudged his head against Hiccup's face and licked the wound on his head. Hiccup leaned back against him, his gaze never leaving the ships. He kept watching long after they had disappeared from sight.

Night fell, and stars appeared in the sky. The boats had disappeared, leaving Hiccup alone with his thoughts. 'They're gone. All of them. I'll never see them again.' As reality sank in, he could feel the tears rising behind his eyes. Toothless felt it too, and rubbed his head against Hiccup's chest.  
Hiccup buried his face in the dragon's tough neck and cried his heart out. "Oh Toothless, what have I done? This is all my fault. I-I deserve to be alone don't I?" Toothless growled as if he wanted to say 'No you don't. You don't deserve to be alone. You are the most wonderful person there is, and you deserve to be happy more than anyone. I'll never leave you.' "It's okay Toothless. I never belonged here did I? I guess this is what I get for trying to be something I'm not. Toothless realized he wasn't listening to him, so he spread his wing around Hiccup. The warm, comfortable embrace eased Hiccup and a sad smile spread on his face. "Thank you Toothless. I'm happy you're still here."

"Where should we go?" He asked to no one in particular. He looked up to a full moon, its brilliant light illuminating the world around him. "Where do we belong?" Exhausted from all the emotions, he fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Toothless put his head down and went to sleep with him. They didn't even notice the moon becoming brighter, or the blizzard blowing in from the sea.

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**Poor Hiccup. I really feel bad about putting him through that.  
But it had to happen. I guess.  
Anyway, reviews make Toothless happy. And when Toothless is happy, so is Hiccup!  
So reviews to make him smile again.**

**Chapter 2**: **New Horizons will (hopefully) be up soon.**

**UPDATE: Got the chapter beta'd! So can all thank happywanderer2 for fixing some of my (rather stupid) mistakes. :p  
(S)?he will be the beta for all other chapters too.**


	2. Chapter 2 New Horizons

**First off, I would like to thank everyone who reviewed and liked this story. *grabs readers into a group hug* I love you guys!**

**In this chapter, Hiccup and Toothless are more than a bit overwhelmed by the world of today. And they have there first encounter with a guardian, but unfortunately things get off on the wrong foot.  
**

**Update: now beta-ed thanks to happywanderer2**

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**New Horizons**

A pale blue light shone in Hiccup's eyes. But when he opened them, the light was gone. There was a white crystal layer right in front of him. Curious, he touched it. It crumbled underneath his touch and he realized it was snow. The protective blanket gone, he looked around. The full moon shone so bright he had to squint at first. Thousands of stars were scattered across the night sky. Like someone had thrown a fist full of glitter into the heaven and it stayed there. "Welcome." A voice resonated in his head.  
He turned around, but there was nothing but white. As far as the eye could see was snow. The whole world was different. Not just because of the snow, but because it actually was. Berk was gone, and where once was sea, a mountain range stretched. Toothless had woken up as well and stared, confused by this strange new place. It didn't smell like like Berk. "Come on Toothless. Let's go find out what's going on here."

They were flying through a thick blanket of clouds, when Toothless heard something. "What is it boy?" Hiccup asked. Then he heard it too. A low rumbling sound, echoing through the clouds. Toothless bared his teeth and growled back. The sound was getting louder and heavier.  
Suddenly, a great dragon came bursting through the clouds with a deafening roar. It was no kind of dragon they had ever seen before. It didn't have a mouth, or any legs. It had eyes all over its body in a straight line. Its wings were stiff and unmoving, with strange lumps that made the earsplitting rumble. Toothless folded his wings and dive-bombed toward the earth, away from the terrible noise and the strange dragon.

The landing was a little rough. Toothless was getting really worked up. He walked up and down, made strange cries and gave Hiccup a worried look. "Toothless calm down. It's ok. It isn't coming after us see?" He pointed up toward the strange dragon, which disappeared into the clouds. It was like it hadn't even seen them. The rumbling faded completely and Toothless calmed down. He looked at Hiccup and tilted his head slightly. "Sorry buddy, I've got no idea were we are either."  
Toothless heard another unfamiliar sound and growled while lowering his head. Together they crept up a hill. They would never forget what they saw next.

There was a town right in front of them. It was the biggest and strangest town they had ever seen. It was practically drowning in light. Tall structures rose into the sky. The tallest ones had reflective patches arranged in an orderly fashion. And such strange fires they had. They were upside down, yet they didn't fall out. Nor did they flicker like a fire.  
And then there were these strange shiny cocoons. Like huge rocks, they were strewn all over the place. They came in all colors imaginable and some even moved. One of them stopped and a human got out. 'Must be some sort of horse-less carriage.' Hiccup thought. 'Maybe that strange dragon was too.' "Alright Toothless, you wait here, I'll go see where we are." Toothless grabbed his jacket to stop him. "I'm sorry I didn't come back before. But this time I will. I'll just ask someone where we are, maybe even find the way back to Berk. I might even get you some food." Toothless pondered the prospect of food and let Hiccup go. "Okay, I'll be right back." The dragon gently nudged his back. "Don't worry, I will be." Hiccup said and gave his best friend a quick hug.

The town was strange from a distance, but up close he saw its people were even more unusual. They were dressed in strange outfits, and no one wore fur or hide. Their hair was often stuck up in weird fashions. He even saw a woman with hair in all the colors of the rainbow. Hardly any of the men had facial hair, and if they did, it was short and maintained. He would stand out like a sore thumb. But he couldn't back down now. Too much depended on this. Toothless was counting on him.

Oh well, at least he was used to getting funny looks. Though no one seemed to have noticed him yet. "Excuse me Miss?" No answer. "Uhm, sir?" He just kept walking like he wasn't there. Hiccup stepped in front of someone. "Can you tell me..." The man walked straight through him. Shocked, he took a few steps back. 'W-what is going on? Why can't they see me? Why can't I touch them?' He bumped against a parked car and stumbled onto the street. He heard a screeching sound and saw one of those metal carriages whooshing around the corner. He wouldn't be able to evade it in time. He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

But just before it him, a fireball threw the carriage off course. It slipped and crashed into a pole. A man stumbled out of the metal container and walked into a wall. He smelled like Gobber's home-made 'Dragon Beer'. Toothless quickly ran to Hiccup. He hugged the dragon. "Oh Toothless, thank you. I thought I was gonna..." Toothless uttered a high-pitched screech when a pedestrian walked straight through him, followed by another one.  
"Hey it's okay buddy, it's okay. They just can't see us." Hiccup said in an attempt to calm down his dragon companion. Toothless cocked his head to the side. What was that supposed to mean? How could they not see him? He is huge!

"It's ok, I don't understand either. I guess we don't belong here either." He sighed and leaned against a metal carriage. The loud blaring sound it made and the flashing lights startled them both. Toothless quickly shut the strange thing up. Hiccup stared at the smoking remains and molten metal behind him before he realized people were crowding and looking out their windows – that's what those shiny patches were. It was a good thing nobody could see them now.  
A different blaring drew their attention. Toothless growled and prepared another fireball in the back of his throat. "No Toothless don't! You might hurt somebody! Let's go!" Toothless growled when a metal carriage with flashing light came around the corner, but made no attempt to silence it. They flew back to the woods.

The moment they landed Hiccup let himself fall into the soft snow, clutching his head. Toothless shot him a worried look, but then Hiccup let his arms fall with a heavy sigh. "What in Odin's name is going on here? Berk is gone, we end up in some messed-up, over populated town with a bunch of freaks, and they can't even see us." Toothless was sniffing around his new surroundings. "You don't think we're dead do you? That we're ghosts?" Toothless snorted in response. There was no way they were dead. He was alive, Hiccup was alive, the world around them was alive as well. He could sense that much. Though he didn't understand why everything was suddenly so different.

He left his friend to his thoughts and continued to explore this new world. It was so much more alive than Helheim's Gate had been. It looked a little like the woods near Berk, but it wasn't. The trees that grew here were also different. When he made a really interesting discovery, he called out to Hiccup. "What is it Toothless?" He asked. His best friend had discovered a small secluded spot, hidden from the winds. He scorched it to make himself a warm little nest. He called for Hiccup to join him. Maybe he would feel better after some sleep. Toothless knew he would.  
"Thanks buddy. But I don't think I can sleep just yet. You get some rest, I'll be out here a bit longer." Toothless was tired from the long flight and the confusion that seemed to make up this strange new world and quickly fell asleep. Hiccup sat down at the edge of an ice-covered little lake, tucked away between the trees. Ever so faintly, he could hear the town's ceaseless antics. It wasn't long before he was asleep too.

The sandman was almost finished with his rounds. He sent his sand all over the world, but some places he liked to visit in person. Burgess was definitely one of those places. Every time he floated overhead, he was reminded of the great battle that taken place there. It had only been 20 years, but the people had already forgotten. Of course, they hadn't even seen the guardians fend off the terrible nightmares that Pitch had created. And of the few that had witnessed, only one still believed. Sandy chuckled to himself when he thought about it. A part of him would always be that little kid that kept believing. He still told his children, and boy did they dream. They had certainly inherited their father's imagination. And of course, it was the home town of one his best friends and fellow guardian. The thought of the mischievous youth brought a smile to his face.  
But he couldn't float about all night. He had dreams to deliver. The golden sand swirled and twirled as it descended towards the children of Burgess. It took on the forms of dolphins, tigers, dogs, cars, planes, dinosaurs, unicorns, dragons and everything else a child could possibly imagine. But one tendril seemed hesitant, floating in its place. Like it was searching for its dreamer.  
Sandy wanted to take a closer look, when it suddenly shot off. Much to Sandy's surprise, it was headed for the forest next to the town. Who could possibly be out there in this cold?

Sandy followed his dream-sand and found a young boy curled up in the snow. Brown hair, freckles on his face. He wore a a green shirt under a sleeveless fur vest. His clothes looked home-made and Sandy wondered if there were actually people in Burgess who didn't have the money to buy clothes. But more interesting than the boy's attire, was the youngster's dream. He poured a little extra sand in it get a better look.  
The gold swirled around and became an island between the waves. On the island was a village with... Vikings? Interesting. Not many still dreamed about vikings in this day and age. Most preferred sci-fi dreams these days. Looking at the boy, he did kind of look like a viking. A rather scrawny one, but still a viking. And sure enough, there he was, in the village. He was running towards the woods. He came to a beautiful lake and a dragon. The sand gave the beast a magnificent glow. And even though it was only one golden color, its eyes glowed with warmth and vitality. 'The dragon must represent something very important to him.' Sandy thought.

The boy and the dragon lifted into the air. Even through the dream-sand, Sandy could feel the thrill of flying. Something he quite enjoyed himself. Suddenly, the sand began to shake. Like a storm brewing in the boy's mind. Then, from the golden thunderclouds, came another dragon, so big and so ferocious, Sandy fell. He quickly lifted himself up and saw the boy and his dragon running from the monstrous beast. It kept following them, then suddenly disappeared.  
The duo hurried back to their village, or what was left of it. Sandy didn't like this dream anymore. The sand was getting darker and he realized it had become a nightmare. He couldn't do anything about it now. At least not until the boy woke and it would try to escape. That was when he could destroy it.

The boy was now shifting uncomfortably. His dream self walked through the remains of the village. 'At least he isn't alone.' Sandy thought. But he didn't realize how wrong he was. The boy threw his arms around a burly man whose beard was even thicker than North's. But the man just shoved him away. The boy fell to the ground and the people around him turned their backs on him and walked away. The sand had now become pitch black. The boy struggled to his feet and tried to reach out to them. But everyone faded, one by one, always evading his grasp.  
The boy was now all alone, the darkness swirling around him. The ground gave way underneath him and he fell. He fell into an endless pit of swirling madness of cars, planes and dragons. He had to wake him up and fast! Sandy shook him like a rag doll and even slapped him. With as gasp he woke up, freeing the nightmare. It didn't get far before a streak of golden sand pierced it and returned it to its normal form.

"Wha-what happened? Where am I?" The boy stumbled to his feat, still panting and disorientated from the nightmare. He looked around and, much to his regret, found he was still in this mad land. "Who are you?" He asked when he saw Sandy. He was different from the people he had seen so far. He was no taller than a child. His clothes were the same golden color as his hair, and both seemed to be made of sand. And most importantly, he was floating 2 feet above the ground!

Hiccup was about to make a run for it, but Sandy waved his hand enthusiastically. It wasn't often that children his age still believed in the guardians. Sandy's happy antics put Hiccup at ease. He didn't seem to be dangerous. "Can you tell me where we are?" He asked. Sandy nodded and formed the word 'Burgess' above his head with golden letters. "Wow!" Hiccup exclaimed. "That's a neat trick! But you can't speak?" Sandy shook his head. "I'm sorry." Sandy shook his head harder. He had nothing to apologize for. "Ok, ok. So, we're in Burgess?" Sandy nodded in agreement.  
"How did I get here?" The boy asked. The sandman cocked his head to the side and looked at the boy. "So you don't know either. That's okay. This place is just really confusing." Hiccup sighed.

"What are you anyway? Some sort of troll?" Sandy shot him a slightly insulted look but let it pass. He shook his head. Sand swirled from him, creating a miniature version of himself, granting dreams to sleeping children. "Are you trying to tell me you're the sandman? I thought that was just a story." 'So you believe in trolls but not in the sandman?' Sandy thought. Then he realized that the boy shouldn't have been able to see him. If one didn't believe with all their heart, the world of legend and myth would be closed to them. So why could he see him then?

Sandy started frantically bopping up and down. "I- I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry," Hiccup said. But Sandy wasn't angry. This was big news! He had to take the boy to North. He would know what to do. He should gather the other Guardians as well, but first he needed to get this boy up north. He grabbed the kid's arm and pulled him toward a golden airplane. "What are you doing?" The boy said and pulled loose. Sandy saw the boy's confusion and tried to explain to him with symbols flashing rapidly above his head. The boy didn't understand any of it. When Sandy tried to grab his arm again, he jumped away.  
"What do you want from me?! Leave me alone!" The boy was now shouting, his voice shaking with fear. What was this unknown and magical creature and where did he want to take him? There was no time for this. Sandy made a huge pair of sand-hands and tried to grab the boy. Suddenly something shot from behind the boy and his sand shattered. Glass? He looked at the source of the shot and saw a pair of yellow-green eyes gleaming in the darkness. The dark mass rose to its feet.

What kind of nightmare was this? Black as the night, wings, a tail. Nightmares always took the form of, well, nightmares. But this one was a dragon! And a fierce one by the look of it. He had to stop it before it took the boy. Sandy grabbed its tail with a sand-whip as the beast clawed at him. He wrapped his paws in chains of golden sand in order to immobilize it, but it was stronger than he had imagined. It tore the chains apart and shot another fireball. He shielded himself, but every time the blazing projectiles hit his defenses, they were turned to glass. When the firing stopped, the dragon was already flying away, the boy on its back. He went after it on a golden tornado. Toothless turned around and charged one last fiery breath. Hiccup realized what his friend was doing. He was charging a compressed ball of solid fire. It was hot enough turn the sea half a mile around to steam. "Toothless the town!" He cried out above the roaring wind. Toothless had not forgotten the strange town and its strange people.  
He shot his fire. Sandy avoided it with ease, but couldn't prevent it from going inside his tornado. Then it detonated. The shock wave send Sandy plummeting to the ground. His tornado turned to glass.

Just before he hit the ground, he remembered he could fly. He straightened himself and looked up toward the beast and the boy, flying of into the distance.  
The light of the rising sun hit the glass, sending a beautiful wave of light over Burgess. Like a golden version of the northern lights. It only lasted a moment, as the light of the sun undid the sand's magic. Just like it did every morning, the sand turned into a golden light. The light of hope that floated on the winds of fate. The light that shone in people's hearts.

Sandy was too short on sand now to go after the boy. He was too far gone anyway. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a snowglobe. A present from his old friend North. He shook it and thought of the place he needed to be. He threw it and a swirling portal appeared before him. When he stepped through, the cold hit his face and he had to blink to keep the snow out of his eyes. He gazed up the enormous gates that were the main entrance to North's castle. If he wanted to safe the boy from that nightmare, he would need some back-up.  
Pitch was back!

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**Next chapter introduces Babytooth and the one-and-only Jack Frost. **(insert epic fan-girl squeal here)  
**But will he be able to keep his cool when faced with an actual dragon?**

**By the way, did you know dream-sand is made from reviews?**  
**Now who wants to help Sandy power up? XD**

**See you soon my dears!  
**


	3. Chapter 3 Friends

**Finally the next chapter! I want to thank everyone for all their love ****and ****support **. Entertaining is my whole reason for writing ;) Oh and don't forget to check out the Dragon Guardian trailer if you haven't done it already.

/watch?v=_ovDF7OICeY

******Just just paste it after youtube . com and enjoy**!

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**Friends**

Hiccup closed his eyes as he felt the wind blow through his hair. He loved the sensation of flying at high altitude. The thin air made his blood rush even more and his heart beat even faster. They flew into a cloud and the moist sensation on his skin refreshed him. He saw the sun shining through the clouds, creating a beautiful show of light and shadow on the azure mirror below. For a moment he could see Berk again. His island, in the middle of nowhere, far from the rest of the world. He saw his friends, his father, Gobber, everyone. He clutched his chest. It hurt.  
Toothless sensed his distress and gave him another concerned look. He understood his pain. Dragons had strong family bonds, and he was the last Night Fury. Now he was apparently the only dragon as well. How long had it been since they had seen another dragon? That shiny roaring box that had almost hit them out of the skies was no dragon, that much he knew. It held no life and smelled like steel and fire. Truth be told, he kind of missed Berk too. It hadn't been long, but in those woods he had made a great friend. To them that lake was home. He shook his head. He had no reason to be sad. His home wasn't with that lake, it was with Hiccup. And they were still together. If only he could make Hiccup understand that.

He growled at his friend to cheer him up when something flew into his mouth. "Toothless?! What's wrong?" Toothless was retching like a cat coughing up a hairball. "Hold on buddy, we're going down!" Toothless didn't need to be told twice. He plummeted down. His paws touched the ground and the thing shot loose. Something small and colorful dropped to the ground and Toothless coughed a few more times, relieved to have the obstacle removed from his windpipe. "Are you all right buddy?" Hiccup asked, rubbing his friend's back. "I knew things were going too smoothly," he said with a sarcastic chuckle. Toothless rolled his eyes.

Suddenly a high-pitched small squeal drew the duo's attention. Before they saw what made the noise, something shiny and colorful shot away and disappeared from sight. Whatever Toothless had hacked up was alive. Hiccup felt a sense of relief, he didn't like things dying. He jumped off of Toothless's back and stretched his arms. "Well, at least this place seems nice. What do you say we stay here a while?" Toothless agreed. There was a river nearby, and the fish were big and fat. He hadn't eaten in quite some time. His mouth was watering, even though he wasn't hungry. "Come on, I'll catch you some fish." Toothless happily went ahead when Hiccup noticed something shiny.  
A tooth? And one that had been well looked after. A rare sight, at least in Berk. Most didn't even know what leaves were good for brushing your teeth. Luckily he did, otherwise he would already have lost half of his. Toothless called him, growing impatient. Hiccup put the tooth in his pocket and hurried to his friend. "Sorry Toothless I'll have them out in no time."

She couldn't believe this! What was that thing? I was as black as a nightmare, but it didn't look like one. It was far more scary. And it was alive. Whatever it was, it was alive. And it almost ate her! Well, not really, but it could have. It sure looked like it could. Those teeth had been scary. Beautiful and strong, but scary if you were on the wrong side of them. Which she had been. And there was a boy with it. He seemed nice, and he wasn't even afraid of that – that dragon! He must be soooo brave. And kinda cute with those freckles. Those freckles were really cute. But she didn't have time for the boy, even if he had saved her. At least she thought he had. He was sitting on top of that thing. And she had just flown off at the sight of it. She hadn't even thanked him. But she had been sooo scared! It was so terribly dark inside that thing's throat. And it smelled like rotten fish and smoke. Yuk! She was gonna need more than a few showers to get that smell out of her feathers.  
Gah! And she had left the tooth. What kind of tooth fairy forgot her tooth? She wasn't proud of herself. She would have to get the tooth back. It was her important duty after all. She couldn't fail. She wouldn't fail. But it might not be a bad idea to get some back-up. She hoped the boy was all right. He had seemed so nice. She would thank him when she saw him again. If she ever saw him again. If that thing hadn't eaten him. By the moon, she hoped not! He looked so scrawny though. Could he really fight off something so big and strong? But hey, Jack Frost wasn't exactly a walking muscle, just enough you know? She admitted to taking a more than long look at him when the guardians had taken a trip to the sea to celebrate defeating Pitch. Not too thin, but not over-muscular either, he was juuuust right, with the hints of muscles that a healthy boy his age should have.  
Well, his age being the age he had when he became a guardian of course. He was already a few hundred years old, but even by guardian standards that wasn't very old. Anyway, he didn't look like a fighter either, but it was only thanks to him that they had defeated Pitch. By the tooths that man was creepy! But of course that was his purpose. Couldn't be the boogeyman if you had flowers in you hair and smelled like a summer breeze. What a weird thought. The boogeyman with flowers in his hair. She could almost see him sitting in front of mirror putting on make-up and perfume. What the heck? She wasn't sure whether the idea made her want to laugh or to curl in a corner and weep like a little child. Anyway, belief was strength, right? So she would believe in that boy and that he would be safe. He would be.

She flew as fast as her little wings could carry her, which was actually pretty fast. She was a tooth fairy after all. And top of her class at the final flight exam. A fact she was more than proud of. Come to think of it, mother would probably be training the new recruits today. She hoped she would have time to listen. Ah! There it was. At last. The tooth castle! It glowed like a rainbow as the sunlight traveled over the old walls. She never got tired of that sight. But she didn't have the time to stop and stare. She flew inside without slowing down, ignoring the overseers, who chirped something about Jack Bennet's tooth, which she should have brought home, but hadn't, which was exactly the reason she didn't have time to stop and explain. Her sisters would have to pick up the slack. She didn't like it, but she couldn't abandon a tooth in need.  
Finally she spotted mother. In the training room, just like she had thought. The new recruits were starting today. Ah she remembered when she started training. She had been quite the prankster, and a bit of a show-off too actually. If mother could age, she probably would have gotten more than a few gray hairs from her antics. But she had matured and fulfilled her duty diligently.

She buzzed around Toothiana's head and chirped so fast, even she couldn't follow. Especially not with 24 newly hatched tooth fairies to keep in line. "I'm sorry dear. I can't talk right now, I have a class to run here. You understand don't you? I'm sorry Baby Tooth, I just can't right now. Ask one of the overseers what to do if you must. No no no! How many times do I have to tell you, you take the tooth and leave a coin, not the other way around! You! Stop pulling your brother's wings. No biting!"  
Well, she could have seen that coming. The young ones always proved to be quite a handful. All that energy without knowing how to use it properly. Besides, Toothiana was a single mother who had raised over 2000 kids and run a full-time business at the same time. Not everyone could do that you know? But then again, not everyone was the tooth fairy.  
She would just have to ask someone else for help. Her sisters were out of the question. They were too busy. Guess she didn't have a choice. She would have to ask Jack for help. Not that she minded. He was really nice. And oh, those teeth. Were there ever such pure white sparkling teeth? They really were just perfect. More than perfect in fact. So she would go to Jack. But where to find him? Oh, that's right! She could ask the wind to take her to him. He was always flying on the winds. The wind should know where he was.

As soon as she flew outside, the wind caught her and pushed toward the east. So that's where he was! All right, no time to lose. She put her tiny back into it and let her wings flutter like there was no tomorrow. It wasn't long before she found him. There he was, icing up some town, covering it in that beautiful white powder that he loved so much. There were already kids running about and even the adults were smiling the unexpected snowfall. Even though they sank a little deeper into the collars of their jackets.  
She swooped down, waving a hasty thank you to the wind and swirled around the young guardian's face. "Wow! Baby Tooth! Where did you come from?" She chirped fast and loud, hugging his nose, happy to see him again. "Yeah I'm happy to see you too Baby Tooth. How are you?" Jack asked, blowing a snowflake onto her nose. She didn't know where to begin, so she just started talking. There had been a huuuuge nightmare, and a boy, and she had lost Jack's tooth – well not Jack Frost's tooth of course, but Jack Bennet's – and now she had to get it back, but mother was too busy and she too afraid to go alone – that thing was huge after all- and maybe that boy is in danger! They had to hurry! And why is he looking at me like that? "Ok, I didn't understand a word of what you just said. Chirp a little slower okay?" She sighed. She needed his help to get a tooth back from a big and scary nightmare and there was a boy about his age, and he could be in danger. "A nightmare? Where?" Finally having his attention, she was already leading the way. Hurry up! Together they hitched a ride on the wind toward this rumored nightmare.

Meanwhile, the dragon in question stretched his mighty wings. He let out a big yawn and curled up in the cool shade. He was fed, and now it was time to digest 'n rest. Hiccup hadn't eaten a single bite. He just wasn't hungry, even though he hadn't eaten in several days. Toothless had even regurgitated a fish for him, but that didn't really help his appetite either.  
He was getting sleepy too and curled up against Toothless, who put his paw around him. Before long, they were both fast asleep in the sun's warm rays.

Baby Tooth dropped from the sky, a young boy with a frostbitten blue sweater right behind her. This was the spot alright. Now to find that tooth. She could feel it was nearby. But where? "Is this the place?" Jack asked. She nodded, not even looking at him. Where was that darn tooth? Getting warmer. Warmer. Almost there. Suddenly she let out a small cry and rushed to hide in Jack's hoodie. He held his staff in both hands, ready to strike if necessary. He walked around a tree and saw the beast Baby Tooth had mentioned. It was a dragon! And if it wasn't, it sure looked like one. At least it wasn't a nightmare. It was way too solid for that. Then something else caught his attention. "Was that the boy you mentioned?" Baby Tooth peeked out from her hiding spot. She chirped in confirmation. "You were right, those freckles are cute. Euhm... Don't tell anyone I said that ok?"

Jack cautiously walked towards the sleeping duo and poked the black dragon with his staff. It seemed to be fast asleep. The dragon's tail twitched a bit. First he should get the boy to safety. He'd probably know more about the dragon. He lifted the dragon's paw a bit and tried to pull the brown haired teen from underneath it. He jumped back as a giant paw swung at him. In Berk there was a saying about sleeping dragons. Of course, the saying went that it was a great time to kill them, but it also warned you about waking one. If you did, hell was sure to break loose.  
The dragon took his stand in front of the boy and Hiccup fell face-forward into the grass. Jack held on to his staff tightly, ready to cool the beast down at any time. "Huh? Toothless? What's going on?" The green-eyed teen asked, still groggy from sleeping. Toothless looked at his friend for just a second. That split second was the moment Jack attacked. Toothless dodged the shot and both he and Hiccup were astonished when it covered the area with ice. Toothless wasn't new to battle though and wasted no time with his counterattack.

He shot a few fireballs, which Jack countered with equally powerful ice-shots. He had to make shields of ice when the black beast went on a clawing frenzy. He was pushed back further and further, or rather, he let himself be pushed back. Each step took him closer to the river and it wasn't long before he had the giant reptile where he wanted him. In the blink of an eye, the entire width of the river was frozen solid. Toothless' paws stuck in the cold clear crystal. He quickly breathed fire to thaw them, but Jack's ice was solid. Not wasting any time, Jack raised his staff above his head, charging the magical energy that made his ice. He made a swirl with it and sent it straight at the beast. With a blast of white powder snow it landed. That ought to cool it down. But when the snow settled, it wasn't the dragon that was frozen. Hiccup had jumped in front of the icy blast. Jack looked at the ice-covered boy, eyes filled with confusion.  
Toothless just stared at his friend's sacrifice for a moment, eyes wide as they ever had been. He let out a feral cry, broke loose from his icy bonds and pinned the blue-eyed boy down before he knew what hit him. "Wait! Wait! I'm sorry! I can fix him!" Jack shouted as he stared into the beast's mouth. He could see a fiery glow in the back of his throat. Toothless closed his mouth and gave the boy a suspicious look. "I can get him out. I didn't mean to freeze him. Please, let me help." Toothless didn't like this, and he definitely didn't trust that white-haired guy. No matter how nice he looked. But he couldn't get Hiccup out of the ice without burning him here and there. Begrudgingly, he let go. Baby Tooth almost fainted from the tension. "Chill. I'll have him out in no time." He chuckled. The dragon glared at him warily. He wasn't going to trust the guy that turned him best friend into a ice cube that easily. "I work with snow and ice," Jack said. "I can make, and I can break it." His staff touched the icebound boy. The crystal prison shattered and Hiccup slumped to the ground. Toothless growled angrily when Jack caught him. He jumped and leaned over Hiccup, confirming he was indeed all right. Of course he knocked Jack's legs out from underneath him while doing so.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to steal him from you. You are friends aren't you? Could you make a fire to get him warmed up?" Toothless happily obliged and shot fire near Jack's feet. "Ok, guess I deserved that." He put Hiccup down by the fire and Toothless pushed him away. Well, at least he wasn't breathing fire at him anymore. Toothless nudged his nose against Hiccup's cheek. "Hey buddy. I'm ok, I'm just... cold." "Yeah well sorry about that. Didn't mean to get you caught in the crossfire. I thought he had kidnapped you or something." Toothless and Hiccup both raised an eyebrow. "No. Toothless and I are friends. Best friends. He- he's all I've got now." "So your name is Toothless? Nice to meet you." The dragon looked at the boy's wide smile and huffed.  
He looked a bit put out by this, but his energetic smile quickly returned. "My name's Jack. Jack Frost." He said as he leaped to the brown haired boy. He landed on top of his staff, perfectly balancing it on the icy ground. "Show-off" Hiccup muttered under his breath. "I'm sorry, what was that?" "Erhm-Hiccup. Hiccup Horendous Haddock III." Jack burst into laughter. "You're kidding right? I mean Hiccup? Who names their child Hiccup?" Hiccup just dropped his head, staring into the glowing embers. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude or anything," he said and let his bare feet touch the ground. "It's ok."

Hiccup's eyes went wide and he suddenly jumped to his feet. "Wait, you can see me?" "Yeah, of course. Freckles and all." Jack grinned. Hiccup was staring at Jack. He took a step forward. Jack wondered what was happening when Hiccup hesitantly raised his hand and touched Jack's shoulder. "I can touch you," he muttered. "Well that didn't sound creepy at all." Jack said and beeped Hiccup's nose. Hiccup wondered for a moment whether to tell him or not, but seeing as this boy wasn't exactly normal either, he decided to risk it. "Yesterday, we were in some town, and when tried to talk to someone, they didn't hear me. When I tried to touch them, they..." "Went straight trough you like you were a ghost or something?" "How did you know that?" "Been there," Jack answered and took Hiccup's hand. Hiccup looked away, feeling a slight shade of crimson on his cheeks. What was he doing? He didn't remember anyone ever touching him except for his father. And usually that was to grab his collar, to pull him out of harm's way.  
"Isn't it cold?" "What is?" "Me. Even the other guardians can't touch me without getting cold." "No. It feels... normal?" He wasn't sure if that was the right answer. Jack looked into Hiccup's green eyes. He had never met someone who was unaffected by his touch. "Really?" This wasn't awkward at all.

"How did you find me anyway?" Hiccup asked, trying to change the subject. "Oh, Baby Tooth did." "Baby Tooth?" Hiccup asked. "Yeah. Come on out. They won't hurt you." Baby Tooth peeked out of Jack's sweater. Toothless curiously eyed the colorful little speck. She'd rather stay where she was a little longer. "She's a tooth fairy, and when she bumped into your friend here, she dropped a tooth." "Oh! You mean this tooth?" Hiccup asked, pulling a clean white incisor from his pocket. Baby Tooth jumped with glee and flew straight at the tooth. She was hugging it, so happy to have found it, she didn't even notice Toothless was getting closer until she felt him sniff. She quickly disappeared into Jack's sweater again.

"So where are you from?" Hiccup asked. "And where are we?" Jack grinned at Hiccup. He swirled his staff around, snowflakes in its wake. He sat down and crossed his legs. "Well, you'd better sit down Hic." Hiccup raised an eyebrow at the nickname. No one had ever given him one before. At least not without insulting him.  
And so Jack told them all about his past life; how he died, became a guardian and how he and the other guardians teamed up to defeat Pitch Black. Baby Tooth had left as soon as Toothless wasn't paying attention. She wished she could have stayed, but she already knew that story. She had been there after all. But she had taken too long getting this tooth as it was and she needed to tell mother about this.  
The sun had gone down by the time Jack finished his story. He looked up to the moon. "You know, I'm really glad I became a guardian. I get to make kids happy all over the world." "That's amazing. I could never do something like that." Hiccup stared into his lap. "Oh I think you could. You'll see." Jack sat down next to Hiccup. "What makes you say that?" "Well, Manny never turns someone into a guardian without a reason. So what's your story?"  
Hiccup looked at Toothless who simply shrugged. It didn't matter to him. OK, he had frozen his best and only friend, but if he was telling the truth, he really was a good guy. He seemed nice. If Hiccup wanted to tell him, he should. It might help him forget the pain a bit.  
"I used to live in a place called Berk. It's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's solidly located on the meridian of misery. My village..."  
Hiccup told him everything. From shooting a Night Fury out of the sky to learning to ride it. At the end of his story, he could feel tears stinging in the corners of his eyes again. With deep, shuddering breaths, he told how he had been left. Jack had been quiet all this time, but now he took Hiccup in his arms. "Shh. It's ok. It's ok. Don't worry. I'm here." He knew how confusing it could be to be reborn and how it hurt to be alone. But to have your friends and family turn their backs on you like that, he just couldn't imagine it. As the boy wept in his arms, he made a decision. "Hic?" *sniff* "Yeah?" He looked into the guardian's bright blue eyes. "I'll make you smile again. I promise. We'll go to the other guardians, maybe they can help." "But..." "Don't worry. I won't tell them if you don't want me to. That'll be your choice. But they might be able to help. I want to make you happy." "Thank you." "No one deserves to be treated like that. Especially not you. I'll stay by your side, ok?" Hiccup couldn't find any words so he just nodded. Jack gently put his hand against Hiccup's cheek and brushed his tears away. 'He smells like fresh snow.' Hiccup thought. The first day of their 8-month winter had always been his favorite. The smell of snow and the clear air. He would always climb to the very top of Berk and look out over the sea. He would let the cool wind ruffle his hair. He usually stayed there all day. It was a welcome change from the 4 months of rain, before the snow became troublesome. It wasn't long before they were fast asleep, curled up against Toothless. They were still holding each other as the moon continued its journey across the sky.

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**OMG! Baby Tooth's pov was so much fun to write! Basically it's my own train of thought at doubles speed. And then it derailed. XD I somehow imagined a gender-bend Pitch. O_o I don't really know what happened, but if I could come up with it, so could Baby Tooth!  
**

**And Jack and Hiccup have finally met! Let the HiJack commence! XD  
I mean, you did know this was gonna happen right? No? Well now you do! :3  
But I don't want to rush things. I want to keep it realistic and let their relationship develop properly.**

**And a ****really BIG thanks for to everyone that reviewed, faved and/or followed.  
You guys are awesome.**

**Now if you'll excuse me, I have the next chapter to write :p**

**See you soon!  
Angel-chan out.**


	4. Chapter 4 Meet the Guardians

**I AM SO SORRY! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter done, but my life can be little hectic sometimes. Regular chapter updates are the one thing I can't promise. Gomenasai! *bows deeply***  
**Have some awkward fluffy goodness to make up for the delay!**

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**Chapter 4: Meet the Guardians**

Warm. It was warm. He hadn't felt warm since he had become a Guardian. He had been cold ever since that fateful day that he sacrificed himself to save his sister. The day he died and became Jack Frost. Everything was always cold. But now he felt something he hadn't felt in over 300 years. Actual warmth. And not the nauseating kind that drained his power. There was something warm in his arms. It was only now that Jack realized just how much he had missed being warm. Sure, he loved snow and ice more than anything, but this felt so good. He could see why humans liked it so much.  
He was afraid to open his eyes. He feared that when he opened them, the source of this warm feeling would disappear. But he had to know. Curiosity was Jack's middle name. Carefully he opened them. First one eye, then both. Much to his surprise, he saw a boy his age. The boy was fast asleep in his arms, his mouth slightly ajar. Oh yeah. His name was Hiccup. He had met him yesterday. Him and his pet dragon. Now that was cool.

He really was something special. He didn't know what power Manny had given him, but if he could keep the Child of Winter warm, it had to be something special. The sun peeked over the horizon, its golden rays caressing Hiccup's face. He stirred ever so slightly. A strand of Hiccup's hair fell over his eyes. Jack gently brushed it aside. He just gazed at Hiccup's face for a while then started to count his freckles. "One, two, three, four... Ok, that's just creepy. Cut it out Jack," he said to himself.

He didn't want to let go of the warmth that radiated from the brown haired boy, but he had to take them to the other Guardians. North's workshop would probably be best. He could summon the others with his aurora. But first he had to wake Hiccup up. Of course, such things have to be done in a fun way. Let's see, a snowball in his face? No, that was too much. They had just met. He'd go easy on him. But just this once. He clenched his hand to fist and shook it lightly. He opened his hand and blew some fresh snow into Hiccup's face. He stirred a little when the cold powder tickled his nose. One more time. This time a snowflake went up his nose.  
"AACHOOOOO!" "Well good morning to you too," Jack said, rubbing his face. "S-sorry." "Sleep well?" Jack asked. "Actually, yeah. I haven't slept so good in a long time." "Good. So you ready to meet the Guardians Hic?" Jack grinned as they got up. "Ready as I'll ever be. But Toothless is still asleep." "Oh leave that to me." Jack grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He made a small circle above Toothless' head with his staff until he had a good pile of snow build up. Then he pulled his staff back. The snow hovered in place for a moment, then fell.

Toothless' eyes flew open and he pulled his wing up over his head. "Aaah." Jack groaned. He could have sworn Toothless shot him a smug look. "Hehe. Did you really think it would be that easy to surprise a dragon?" Hiccup smiled. Jack froze the ground under his feet and glided back to Hiccup, stopping right in front of him. "Well if it made you smile, it was definitely worth it." He beamed. Hiccup looked away. What was up with his guy? He wasn't used to people being so nice to him. Or nice at all for that matter. Even his father's smile had never reached his eyes. At least not when it involved Hiccup. "Hiccup? Something wrong?" Jack's face was only a few inches away from his. His blue eyes locked on Hiccup's green ones. The brunette took a step back. That sort of startled him. His face was so close. "Sorry, I was just..." Hiccup tried to find the words, but they were hard to find.  
Jack put his hand Hiccup's shoulder. "Don't sweat it Hic."

"So how are getting to the others?" Hiccup asked. "Just follow me." The white haired youth raised his staff and a strong wind lifted both of them up. "Who-ah!" Hiccup wasn't used to flying without Toothless, who didn't like the idea much either. Toothless bit the hem of his shirt and kept him from flying off. Jack grabbed Hiccup's sleeve and tried to pull him along. Jack and Toothless glared at each other. "Uhm- as much as I love being part of your little tug-of-war, would you please put me down?" They lowered him to the ground and let him go. "Thank you. If it's all the same, I think I would rather ride Toothless," Hiccup said, earning a satisfied look from his dragon. Jack looked away. Was he... pouting? Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Hic! Let me ride with you!"  
Toothless growled. He didn't like Hiccup flying with anyone else. The only reason he had let that annoying blond on his back was to teach her a lesson. Not that Astrid had gotten the message. "Pleeeeeaaaase?" Jack pleaded, hands folded and eyes begging. "I've never flown on a dragon before!" "Well, I guess it's all right." Toothless disagreed. He growled at Hiccup. "Don't be like that. Just let him on. For me?" Toothless sighed. Fine then. But only because Hiccup asked him. Jack was as giddy as a kid in a toy store.

"Where to?" Hiccup asked. "The North Pole. It's that wa-wooooah!" Toothless took off like a bolt of black lightning, knocking Jack of. He quickly flew after them and got back on. "I'd better hold on tight," he said as he put his arms firmly around Hiccup. When he saw a little blush creeping on Hiccup's face, he couldn't resist squeezing him a little.  
Toothless didn't like it. But if the frost sprite wanted to hold on tight, he'd better give him reason to. He plummeted down, only opening his wings a few meters above the ground. "Toothless! Stop that! What's gotten into you?" Toothless didn't listen. Instead he insisted on doing a few loops and twirls. He even took a few dips in the freezing ocean. But the wilder he flew, the louder Jack began to cheer. "Woooohooooo! This! Is! Awesome!" He shouted. What was wrong with that kid? Anyone else would have been begging for his life, holding on for dear mercy. But no, this kid acted like he was on a roller coaster. Jack had one hand in the air, the other firmly holding on to Hiccup. The latter being the only one who was legitimately shaken by Toothless's wild ride.

"Hey Hiccup!" Jack shouted, hoping the auburn haired teen would hear him over the whistling of the wind. "What is it Jack?" "We're here. Race you." With a wide grin he let go of Hiccup and stretched his arms. He fell off Toothless and plummeted toward the earth. "Well, if it's a race he wants..." Hiccup directed Toothless down, diving after his friend. Jack had his hands behind his back and watched his friend and his dragon closing in on him. They were right next to him. With a cocky smile he dove down even faster. A flurry of white in his wake. Neither Toothless nor Hiccup could see anything through the powdery snow. When they did it was already too late.  
The duo drove face-forward into the snow. Hiccup flew off Toothless's back and ended buried up to his waist in the soft snow. He struggled to get loose, his legs flailing about, while Jack lay rolling on the ground with laughter. Toothless managed to pull his head out of the snow. His expression was blank with the exception of one raised eyebrow. He pulled Hiccup out of the snow. His hair was all messed up and he had snow all over him. When Jack saw Hiccup like that, he started laughing even harder.

Whoosh. A snowball hit Jack right in his face. His laughing stopped instantly. He looked at Hiccup who gave him a smug grin. Jack's face quickly turned from surprise to a devious smile as he ducked to make a snowball himself. "Don't you even dare." Hiccup said as Jack readied the white projectile. "You deserved that-" Hiccup was cut short when the snowball hit his face. He wiped the snow from his eyes and began laughing too. "Oh now you're gonna get." Toothless hid behind a snow dune while the snowballs flew back and forth. Hiccup took a few hits, but he made sure Jack did too. He got close to the white-haired frost sprite and tackled him. They rolled through the snow laughing. Jack hadn't had this much fun in a long time, and neither had Hiccup.  
"Give up yet?" Jack asked when he pinned Hiccup down. Both were panting heavily, their breaths forming small clouds in the frosty air. "Never!" Hiccup responded an rolled them over so he was now on top of Jack. His fingers brushed against Jack's side by accident, making the latter giggle. "Don't." He panted. "I'm ticklish." "Good to know." Hiccup grinned and promptly began to tickle Jack. Jack was flailing about, laughing like a madman. "Stop! Stop! I give up! You win!"Hiccup stopped. "You win." Both were breathing heavily, trying to regain their breath. Their faces were close. Their noses almost touched. Jack enjoyed Hiccup's warm breath on his face, like sunshine on a summer day. Hiccup noted how even Jack's breath was as cool as the soft breeze that carried the first hints of winter.

"Jack?" Hiccup asked as his emerald eyes locked onto Jack's cerulean orbs. Jack let his eyes glide slowly over Hiccup's face. Every little detail became etched into his memory. His freckles, his flawless eyes that were as green as the hills of Ireland. The few hairs that hung in his face, the glint of sweat on his forehead, the blush on his cheeks from laughing.  
"Yeah?" He asked. His voice was as soft as the snow it could make, and just as strong. It send a shiver down Hiccup's spine. "I-uuuh." He struggled to find the words, but he didn't know them himself.  
"Look out!" Jack shouted, but it was already too late. A huge snowball hit them both, covering them. Their heads popped out of the newly made snow hill. Toothless was sitting in front of them, laughing at them with a toothless grin. "All right, you win." Jack said.

Toothless was helping them out of the snow when he heard something behind him. He turned around and arched his back, growling at whatever creature was coming their way. A big, hairy ape-like creature, about as big as the burliest Vikings appeared from behind a hill and froze in his tracks. Its gray fur stood on end when it spotted the black beast. But when it saw the Guardian of Joy and another young boy behind the winged creature, it took a fighting stance. Toothless let out a low roar as final warning.  
"Calm down! He's a friend!" Jack shouted and stepped between them. Both the Yeti and the dragon looked at him, wondering which one he was referring to. "What's up Phil? Don't see you much this far out." The Bigfoot named 'Phil' shot another quick look at Toothless before it began to growl at Jack. "Uh-huh, yes. Yeah we were just on our way to see North." Jack responded.  
'He can actually understand that?' Hiccup thought to himself. "Out? It's only five weeks till Christmas! Where did he go? Did something happen?" Jack's expression grew worried. "Pitch? No I didn't see the aurora last night. I was uhm- asleep." Jack looked at Hiccup when he said that. Hiccup quickly looked away flustered. He remembered it vividly. They had fallen asleep with their arms around each other. It had been a strange and unknown comfort that he wished he could feel again sometime.  
"Tooth's Palace? Ah man. It's gonna take us forever to get there," the white-haired boy groaned. The Yeti handed him something shiny and round. "Thanks Phil! You're the best!" Phil waved it off and headed back to the workshop. There was more than enough work to be done five weeks before Christmas.

"What's that?" Hiccup asked, pointing at the glistering orb in Jack's hands. "This," he said, holding it up in the air. "is our ticket to Punjam Hy Loo." "Purban what?" "Punjam Hy Loo. It's the Tooth Fairies' home. I bet we might see Baby Tooth again." Jack smiled at Hiccup. "At least that's where we'll find the other Guardians. But we'll have to be careful." Jack's face grew serious. "It seems Pitch is starting something again." "The Boogeyman?" Hiccup asked. "Yeah. The Guardians are there to protect the teeth in case Pitch tries to steal them again." He clutched the snow globe in his hand. "Let's go." He said and threw the orb. It shattered, not in a thousand pieces, but into a swirling magic portal. Toothless and Hiccup looked at it impressed.  
Jack picked Hiccup up bridal style. "W-what are you doing?" He protested. Jack just grinned and stepped through the portal, Toothless following suit.

It was the complete opposite of the frozen wasteland they had just been in. A lush jungle stretched as far the eye could see. Toothless looked around, excited by all the sights and sounds. "Uhm Jack?" Hiccup said. "Yes Hic?" "You can put me down now." "Uh-sure." Jack chuckled nervously as he put him down. "Up there!" He pointed up to the sky before Hiccup could say something more on the matter. The clouds cleared and a beautiful palace appeared. It was a marvelous structure consisting of seven main pillars, and many smaller ones between them. It shone like a diamond in the sun.  
Hiccup's mouth formed a silent 'wow' when he saw it. Even Toothless's jaw dropped a little when he saw it. "Welcome to the Tooth Palace!" Jack grinned. "Let's go." He jumped and the wind carried him upwards. Hiccup jumped on Toothless's back and followed him.

The clouds were heavy with water and cast dark shadows on the green world below. A storm was brewing. They landed on the balcony of the central column. "Come on, we'll go through Toothiana's room. It's faster that way." Jack guided him through the large balcony doors into an enormous room with eighteen identical doors. "This way," Jack said. "You've been here before?" Hiccup asked. Jack stopped in his tracks. "Yeah. Just once." He chuckled nervously. "Toothiana took me up here." "The Tooth Fairy?" "Yeah." Jack started to blush a little. His eyes shifted around the room. For some reason he couldn't look Hiccup in the eyes right now.  
"She-uhm she took me here and-well... she sorta confessed." "What do you mean confessed?" Hiccup asked. Had she done something wrong and hidden it from Jack? "She told me she had a crush on me." Jack was now fully blushing. Now Hiccup understood why Jack was getting so flustered about this. "So," Hiccup paused, not sure how to continue. "You two are dating?" "NO!" Jack exclaimed just a little too fast. "I mean, no," he corrected himself. "She liked me, but I don't like her. She's a great person who cares a lot about others and she's really pretty too and a great friend. But- I just don't like her. Not like that." "So how did she take it?" "Good I guess. She was more in love with my teeth anyway." Jack awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.  
"Or maybe she just hides it well. It couldn't have been easy losing someone like you." "What?" Jack spun around, looking straight at Hiccup. Hiccup's face was bright red. He hadn't meant to say that. At least not like that. Toothless looked at his best friend, then at Jack, and then back to Hiccup. He didn't understand much of this human behavior.

"N-nevermind!" Hiccup said, louder than he had meant to. He lowered his head. "Let's just go find the Guardians." His face was still red. He opened a door and stepped through it. But instead of ground, his feet met only air. Before he could scream he felt a hand catch his. Jack was holding his hand and they were both leaning over the abyss. Jack had the crook of his staff around Toothless's paw, it was the only thing keeping them from falling several thousand feet down. Toothless pulled them both back into the room.  
"Would it kill ya to be bit more careful?" Jack said, clearly annoyed. Great, Hiccup thought. Another person he had disappointed. The didn't call him Hiccup the Useless for nothing. "I'm sorry." He lifted his head to face Jack. But what he saw surprised him. He had expected to see his father's eyes after he had stopped Hiccup from walking into a dragon's flaming breath yet again. Sure, there was concern, but never without annoyance. Jack's eyes held the same amount of concern, but instead of annoyance Hiccup saw... fear? Or something else? Jack's eyes were filled with something he had never seen before. He didn't know what it was, but it turned his gut with guilt and made him feel warm at the same time.

"I-I'm really sorry," he said and took Jack's hands into his own, emphasizing his words. "I'll be more careful. I promise." Visibly comforted, Jack showed his trademark white grin. "Well then let's go meet the others. I think I've kept you to myself long enough." He smiled. "It's just one floor up." He led Hiccup by his hand up the lilac and blue staircase.  
Toothless was right behind them. Seeing his friend like this was so conflicting. He didn't like the amount of attention Hiccup was giving the white-haired teen. But on the other hand, there was something special about the boy. More than his ability to create snow and ice out of thin air that is. His very presence was having a positive effect on Hiccup. Being with him made Hiccup happy. It somehow made him even forget about his father and his village, if only for a bit. Toothless had been trying to make Hiccup forget his pain for some time, and he had managed to do so. But not like Jack had. Toothless was more than a little jealous. It felt like Jack was stealing his best friend away. He hated the frost-covered boy for that. Or he wanted to. But Toothless couldn't just hate him. That same special 'something' that pulled Hiccup closer, was also pulling at Toothless. He too liked being around Jack. And the Guardian made Hiccup happy. For a dragon, all these emotions were confusing at best. But he wouldn't let Hiccup go without a fight.

They stopped in front of a large door with a huge golden tooth-design on it. "Ok, you wait here. We don't wanna scare them now do we?" Jack looked at Toothless, who huffed. 'Well excuse me for being a dragon.' "No offense," Jack added. He opened the door slightly and slipped through unnoticed. The Guardians were all busy looking out the window for any irregularities that might signal the arrival of the Nightmare King.  
Jack hopped on a breeze, as light as snowflake and drifted toward a seven feet tall rabbit with grayish-blue fur. "So what I miss?" He said in the Pooka's ear. "Crikey!" he shouted. E. Aster Bunnymund jumped around, his enchanted boomerang drawn. When he saw Jack Frost's mischievous smirk he lowered his weapon with an annoyed gruff. "Blimey. So you finally show up Frostbite?" He said as he straightened his egg-holster. "Ahhhh. I missed you too," Jack responded in mocking affection. "Jack! There you are! What took you?" Toothiana butted in. "Sorry. I didn't see the lights," he responded. "Well you're here now. Now Pitch will not stand a chance," Nicolas St. North added. Sandy waved at Jack, silent as ever.

"So what's going on exactly?" Jack asked. The Sandman jumped on the spot, images flashing above his head. "Wow. Wow. Slow down Sandy. I can't follow." "He saw a Nightmare. One we've never seen before," North explained. Sandy formed an image of said creature. "Hahaha!" "Jack, this is serious. How you can even consider that thing funny? That's the scariest Fearling I've ever seen!" Toothiana gave Jack a stern, motherly look. "It's Toothless," he said. "Dunno mate. Them teeth look pretty real to me." Bunny bent over to look at the sand-dragon's mouth.  
"I guess Baby Tooth didn't get a chance to tell you yet. Hiccup! You can come in now!" Jack shouted, casually leaning against his staff.

The Guardians gave Jack a puzzled look, but the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Tooth's feathers puffed up and Bunny's hair rose on end when Toothless walked in. Bunny drew his boomerang and a few eggs, Sandy made two whips, North drew his swords and handed Tooth one of them. "Calm down guys." Jack casually walked toward the dragon. "He's friendly." Jack patted Toothless, who pushed him aside with a growl. He gave him a don't-touch-me look. "Usually anyway. And this is Hic," he said, pointing his staff at the freckled boy next to him. "N-Nice to meet you." He was nervous. Not for himself, but for Toothless. Those Guardians were obviously skilled in battle. He hoped they wouldn't consider Toothless a threat after all. "He's my friend," Hiccup said, putting his hand on Toothless's head. The Guardians remained silent but relaxed a bit.  
Sandy was the first to move. He floated toward the boy and dragon. When Toothless growled at him, he stopped. Neither had forgotten their battle. A little Night Fury appeared above his head, shaking hands with a miniature Sandman. Toothless tilted his head. "I think he wants to be friends," Hiccup said, walking toward the little golden man. "Jack told us. You were just trying to protect me weren't you?" Sandy bopped his head up and down, happy the boy had understood him.

"If he ain't a Nightmare, then what the bloody hell is he?" Bunny asked, slowly approaching Toothless. He had put his weapons away, but was still a bit wary of the massive creature. "It's a dragon!" North exclaimed, already next to Toothless. He picked up his wing and looked at him. Toothless was too surprised to see a human so quickly overcome his fear to stop him. North's eyes were full of wonder as he inspected Toothless's tail fin. "You made this?" He asked Hiccup who nodded in response.  
Tooth flew closer, hovering above Toothless. He followed her with big, excited eyes. So excited in fact, she quickly came back down and hovered behind Bunny.

"Ahem." North cleared his throat. "Forgive us. We are so curious we forget manners. I am Nicholas St. North, but you can call me North. I am the Guardian of Wonder," he said, making a small bow. "This is E. Aster Bunnymund, the Guardian of Hope." "G'day mate. Call me Bunny," he said with a firm nod. "You already met Jack, Guardian of Fun," North continued, gesturing to Jack. The frost sprite gave Hiccup a playful wink. "And Sanderson Mansnoozie, also known as the Sandman or Sandy for short. He is Guardian of Dreams." Sandy made a little bow. "And I'm Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy and Guardian of Memories. But you can call me Tooth." She talked as fast as she flew. "I'm Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, and this is my best friend Toothless." The dragon nodded to the odd bunch in front of him. They had never seen anything like this group. Sandy, Jack and North looked fairly normal, but Tooth and Bunny were a different story.  
They seemed nice, but one was half hummingbird and the other a giant talking rabbit.  
"So what's your story?" North asked. "If you don't mind sharing that is." Hiccup looked to his feet. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to tell them everything," Jack said. "You decide." "We all have some pain in our pasts we don't like to talk about." Tooth added. "We understand." "But if you want to share it, we'll be there to listen," Bunny said.  
Hiccup stared at each one of them. He couldn't believe how understanding they were. How different it felt from home. "Thank you. Really," he said. "I don't think I can tell you everything, but I'll tell as much as possible." Sandy made some soft, round sand pillows for them to sit on. He even made an extra large one for Toothless. And so Hiccup began his story. He skipped the part where he was abandoned. Instead he told them that after getting his head hit on the ship, he woke up in this world. He didn't want to face that again. He didn't want them to pity him. He hadn't meant to tell Jack either, but the words wouldn't stop then.

"You poor thing!" Tooth exclaimed and fluttered over to hug him. "It must have been so confusing." "Don't worry mate. I don't know what MiM choose you for, but we'll help you. Count on that," Bunny said, scratching behind his ear with his hind leg. "Exactly! There is greatness in you Hiccup. I can feel it in my belly." North said and shook his stomach for emphasis. "Thanks." Hiccup said. Sandy put his tiny hand on Hiccup's shoulder.  
He made a little sun and turned it into a moon. "Yes, yes. You go on ahead Sandy." The Sandman made a kayak and peddled swiftly out the window on a sand river. Hiccup gave the others a puzzled look. "I fear we don't have the time to stay much longer. As Guardians, we have duties to tend to." North explained. "We'd wish we could show you around some more but-" "I'll do it!" Jack shouted. "I'll show him around. I've got time anyway." "Very well then," North said. Toothiana waved goodbye and began giving her mini-fairies orders as she went. Bunnymund tapped his foot twice on the ground and promptly jumped down the tunnel that had formed. It closed just as fast. "How would you like to see my Workshop? We'll take the sleigh." North said. "Your friend should just fit." "Sleigh?" Hiccup asked. "Come on. It's fun!" Jack added. "Somehow that isn't very reassuring." Hiccup said dryly. "All right then."

North put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A high-tech vehicle stopped in front of the balcony. It was red and beautifully decorated. It had folded wings and jet boosters and was pulled by reindeer. "Wow," Hiccup said. "Everyone loves the sleigh," North said as he calmed the reindeer. A real-life dragon was definitely something a reindeer would be worried about, but they knew their master and trusted him. Toothless sat down, taking up almost all the space. Hiccup had to sit next to North and Jack had to fly beside them.  
Before Hiccup could change his mind the sleigh took off. Toothless dug his claws into the wood and Hiccup held on for dear life. "I hope you like the loop-di-loops!" North laughed. Hiccup saw Toothless getting a little pale around his snout. "I hope you like fish!"

* * *

**And there we go! We've finally met the Guardians. It may seem a bit cold for them to just leave Hiccup like that, but the children come first, such is their sworn duty. Guardians are hard work and deadlines. Luckily for Hiccup, Jack is snowballs and fun times.**

**Next chapter Jack and Toothless will get the grand tour.**  
**I hope you liked the fluff! See you soon!**

**Pitch: I believe you are forgetting someone.**  
**Me: Oh yeah. Sorry. Go ahead.**  
**Pitch: Things have been too quiet too long. I think it is time I showed you all the true power of fear. And I sense some beautiful fear drawing near. Come and look for the next chapter if you dare.**


	5. Chapter 5 Sightseeing

**Greetings my loyal minions, -I mean readers! I want to thank you all for your continued support and love. You guys are awesome! And I'm so sorry for the delay!**

**And to the person who left a guest-review asking me not to turn this into HiJack, just because they couldn't deal with the multitude of it, sorry but no, just no. The truth is that they are perfect for each other, which is the very reason you find so much HiJack here. Imagination is not the power to create other worlds, but to watch them. Each fantasy, every (day)dream, every speck of imagination is a window into a world beyond our reach. We cannot chance it, only watch it unfold. Their bond is so strong that in almost every universe, every reality in which they meet, they are destined to be together.  
This story, as well as any other I will ever write, is not mine to shape or bend, it is only mine to share. Plus the needs of the many outweigh those of the few.**

**Or more simply put; you wouldn't ask a gay friend to get it on with a girl just because you're sick of seeing him with a guy all the time would you?**

**But that's enough philosophical rambling from me.  
Enjoy a look into the homes of the Guardians.**

* * *

**Sightseeing**

North's sleigh landed and Toothless fell out. Despite his dignified position; sprawled out on the icy floor and head spinning, his presence was still intimidating. The Yetis took a step back and the elves scurried into hiding. One of them even fainted. Hiccup jumped out and grabbed his knees for support. "Welcome to the Pole!" North exclaimed, jolly as ever. "It was good flight?" He asked. "Yeah. I love the feeling of my lunch being pushed back up and a travel sick dragon behind me," Hiccup answered. "Good," North said. Hiccup's sarcasm had gone straight over his head.  
Jack just leaned against his staff snickering. "You guys are worse than Bunny!" He joked. "Yeah well, next time, I'll just fly on Toothless thank you very much." Toothless growled in agreement and let his head fall back to the floor. "Well I must get back to work. Much to be done," North said. "Jack. You show young Hiccup my Workshop, but don't get in way. It is only five weeks to Christmas. We don't need any trouble." "Yes sir!" Jack saluted the tall, buff man. If it hadn't been for the big grin on his face, Hiccup would have almost believed he was serious. "Good. I already informed the Yetis. They will not bother you." Nicholas St. North rolled up his sleeves, revealing the tattoos 'Naughty' and 'Nice' on his forearms and left.

"Ready to see the Workshop of Wonder?" Jack asked. "Apparently I died a couple of hundred years ago, was brought back by a man in the moon, met a Frost sprite, a huge talking rabbit, a woman covered in feathers and survived a ride in a magic death-trap." Hiccup said matter-of-factly. "I don't think there is much that can still 'wonder' me." He swung the doors open and his jaw dropped. Toothless was equally impressed.  
There were toys and Yetis everywhere. Hiccup had to duck when a model airplane flew over, a set of smaller planes behind it. There were workbenches with all sorts of toys he had never seen before. The only toys kids in Berk ever had were either dragon bones or some sort of weaponry. The Yetis moved back and forth, delivering boxes and paint where ever needed. There were hot-air balloons, planes, UFOs, and all other kinds of flying toys in the air. It was pure chaos. But it was the most orderly chaos you had ever seen. Everyone knew exactly where to be, when to be there and what to do.

Hiccup closed his mouth. "Ok. I admit. This is pretty impressive." Toothless nodded in agreement. "Wait 'til you see the rest." Jack grinned. They walked down the stairs when a Yeti began shouting at them. Toothless's wing had knocked over a pile of toys. The Night Fury took a step back, knocking over a stack of paint cans this time. Another Yeti shook an angry fist at him. "I don't know if this is such a good idea buddy," Hiccup said. Toothless gave him a sheepish look. "You can wait in the globe room. It's at the top of the stairs." Jack added. Toothless put his ears flat against his head and shot the white-haired boy an annoyed look. But he was right. He'd never fit through here. Not with everyone running around like that. He turned around, knocking some more stuff over. He snarled at a complaining Yeti, effectively shutting him up.

"Poor Toothless," Hiccup said. "Yeah. But don't worry, the Workshop is the only place that's so crowded. He won't have any trouble after this." Jack reassured him, putting his hand on his shoulder. He led Hiccup through all the chambers, each more wondrous than the last. Hiccup soon saw how the place worked. The basement was the storage and the ground level were the stables. North had an impressive herd of reindeer. The first to seventh floors were the sleeping quarters for the Yetis and Elves, the eighth floor was the kitchen and cafeteria. Then came the actual Workshop. It began with the raw materials. Yetis that worked there wore thick, fire-proof aprons and safety goggles. In one room entire trees were stripped of their branches and cut into smaller logs. In the other, iron ore was refined and poured into various molds.  
After that, the refined iron and the logs moved up a floor. There they were carved into different parts, which were put together on the next level. That's where the toys started take shape. Yet another floor up they were painted, and finally, they were wrapped up in glittering paper and colorful ribbons.

Hiccup gazed at the huge stock of wrapped toys before turning back to his blue-eyed friend. "Jack? What is Christmas exactly?" The Yetis within hearing distance dropped their work and stared at the auburn-haired boy, mouths open in shock. Even Jack had dropped his staff and looked at Hiccup with open mouth. He regained his composure and flipped his staff back in his hand with his foot. "Oh yeah. I forgot there was no Christmas in Viking times." He scratched the back of his head. "Well, Christmas is the season to be jolly." The reference went straight over Hiccup's head. "It's the time of the year where you gather with your friends and family and exchange gifts to show them how much you like them. It's all about giving a little love and having a good time. And all the children that have been good this year get a present or two from North." He continued, gesturing at the ever-growing pile in front of them. "Family huh?" Hiccup said, barely audible.

Sensing his change in mood Jack pulled Hiccup into a hug. "None of us still have our old families. But we're not alone. And neither are you. We can be your family." Jack looked Hiccup in his green eyes. "I can be your family... If you want." Hiccup had to swallow hard. Otherwise he would start crying again. "Thank you." He said weakly. He buried his face in Jack's chest and held him tight. He wanted to hold him just a little longer. Jack felt that same warm, light feeling again. But this time it wasn't just in his arms, but inside as well. Finally they let go and went up the stairs to the globe room. A little Elf had been watching them and quickly ran to get some of his friends.

They reached the top of the stairs and the globe room. Toothless walked over to Hiccup and nuzzled against his chest. "He really likes you a lot doesn't he?" Jack said. "He's my best friend after all. He's just happy to see me," Hiccup answered. "I can imagine." When Hiccup gave him a quizzical look, Jack gestured to the centerof the room. "This how we can watch all the children," Jack said, pointing at the huge globe. Yellow lights flickered all over it.  
"Every light is a child that still believes. A child whose Hope, Dreams, Wonder, Memories and Fun are stronger than their Fear. They are the reason we are Guardians. Their belief gives us the strength to protect them. And so they protect us as well." Jack sat down on a desk and gazed at the turning orb with a sense of fulfillment. Almost the entire globe was lit. "As you can see, we're doing pretty good these days. Since we defeated Pitch twenty years ago, more and more children have started believing." "So they can see you, because they believe in you?" Hiccup asked. "That's the gist of it, yeah." He floated over to Hiccup, still looking at the globe. "And when we find your center, you'll be believed in too." "You really think so?" Hiccup asked. "I know so. You're very special Hic. Don't ever forget that."

A jingling sound drew Hiccup's attention. He saw three Elves trying to balance a long, flexible stick upright. The other end was just above his and Jack's head, a small piece of shrubbery attached to it. "Jack? What are they doing?" He asked, pointing to the Elves. Jack looked at the Elves, then up and promptly turned pale. Well, paler. One of the elves nudged Jack's leg with his elbow and winked at him. Jack's face turned red with embarrassment and he hit the little fella, freezing him in the process. The poor thing flew halfway across the room, his little bell jingling all the way.  
"Freaking pointy-eared, red-hatted little bastards," Jack muttered as the other elves scurried away. "Jack?" Hiccup asked. "N-nevermind. Let's go say bye to North before we go." He rushed down the staircase, occasionally floating down. Hiccup looked at Toothless, who just shrugged. He didn't understand how a few jagged leaves and red berries could upset someone so much.

They knocked the door to North's personal workroom. "Now what you want?" Jack opened the door. "Chris came barging in again?" He asked with a teasing smirk. "Ah Jack. And Hiccup. My apologies. I tell him to knock, but he never learns." The man sighed and put some pieces of ice on his desk. "You leaving so soon?" He said, running his hand through his long white beard. "Yeah," Jack said. "Toothless needs more space. That or he has to go on a diet." He ducked just in time to avoid Toothless' tail. The dragon shot him an angry glare. "Ho ho ho. You're getting along just fine I see." North laughed. "Very well. Take these." He shoved three snow globes into Jack's hand, who put them in his pocket. Fortunately they were magic enough to shrink when you put them away. "Thanks North." Jack grinned. "Most welcome. And Hiccup?" "Yeah?" Hiccup responded, hoping the toymaker hadn't noticed him fidgeting with the miniature ice castle on his desk and breaking one of its flags. "Best of luck with your center. If you need help, just ask." He gave Hiccup a pat on the back that made him stumble forward. Hiccup didn't doubt the burly man could defeat quite a few Vikings in an arm-wrestling match. "And don't forget to visit. I see what you do with tail. You would make good toys." The man added with that happy tone in his voice. "Thanks," Hiccup said. "We will."

DGDGDGDGDGDGDGDG

"How's it going cottontail!" Jack shouted when he came out the portal. "Crikey! How many times have I told you to stop calling me that?!" "Just admit that you like me already co-tton-tail." Jack smirked as he emphasized the nickname. The Pooka's ears twitched in annoyance but he remained calm. "You're ice-cold frostbite," he responded. Apparently their continuous jabs were a sign of friendship.  
"So you got sick of North's place huh?" He turned to Hiccup. "Can't blame ya mate. All those Elves walking under yer paws. Not to mention the cold." "I'm used to cold. It snowed eight months a year in Berk," Hiccup stated. "Crikey. Well, you won't find any snow here. And don't you even think about it frostbite." He pointed a warning paw to Jack. "I would never!" Jack said in mock hurt. It would have been more convincing if he hadn't been making frost flowers on the ground.

Meanwhile, Toothless had already begun exploring the Warren. His pupils doubled in size when he spotted an egg. What was so special about this egg, was that it walked on two little legs. Toothless crouched, his chin almost dragging over the floor, his behind slightly elevated. He moved his hind legs first, then his forelegs, stretching like a giant black accordion. He snuck up on the unsuspecting egg. The egg turned around when it felt a warm gust of air on its shell. How it saw Toothless was a mystery as it didn't have any eyes, but it saw the Night Fury just fine. It made a little jump and ran as fast as its little legs would carry it. It was surprisingly fast and Toothless had to break into a trot to keep up.

Hiccup stretched out his arms and took a deep breath. The air was full of life as was the Warren. Hiccup knew they were underground, Bunnymund had explained that to him, but that made it all the more special. The Warren was an almost endless garden in full bloom. Every flower, every tree, every piece of grass was filled with life. Everything around him seemed to scream spring. Even the light that shone down here. It was too bright to see where it came from, but it was as warm as the sun.  
"If you like this, wait to you see the rest," Bunny said. "Come on, I'll show you around." Hiccup turned to Jack. "Well go on, he ain't gonna hurt you. I know he looks big and scary, but inside he's as soft as that cottontail of his." He joked. The Pooka gave Jack a cold stare. "I'm gonna take a nap here. You have fun Hic," Jack said and curled up in the shade of a willow and closed his eyes. Hiccup gave him one last look and then followed Bunny, who was already hopping ahead. Jack watched Hiccup leave, and when he was gone from sight, he closed his eyes with a sigh. Would he ever understand why that boy caused a turmoil in his heart that he never felt before in his centuries-long existence?

Hiccup observed in awe as Bunny showed him the Warren. The small pools were filled with little fish, frogs and even a few salamanders. There were lilies on top of the water and dragonflies in the air. Bunny showed him the nests where the eggs grew and ripened until Easter, the rainbow river and everything else there was to see.  
Finally, Bunny took Hiccup to the song garden where the musical plants grew and played a tune. It was a light and happy tune, filled with the promises of spring. "Now you try it mate." He said. "But I'm not good with instruments." Hiccup objected. "Well these are flowers. Just try it mate." Hiccup sat down in between the flowers and touched one. A off-tune high C came from it. Hiccup gave Bunny an apologetic look. "Don't worry. Empty your head. Let your heart guide your fingers, and the plants will play for you," Bunnymund said. Hiccup turned his attention back to the lyrical flora in front of him. He closed his eyes and listened to his heart. Small green vines wrapped around his fingers so gently he didn't even notice. Curtesy of E. Aster Bunnymund. Hiccup's fingers started moving on their own as if he was playing a piano, though he didn't even know what a piano was. The melody started slow and peaceful as Hiccup thought of a time when his mother had still been alive. It became heavier and more violent with the memories of being an outcast. A light note was introduced when Toothless came to his mind. The song was now uplifting, filled with the emotion of finding a friendship to last a lifetime. The tone became darker again, now filled with the confusion and fear that was inflicted upon him when he was thrown into this new world. When he ended, it left you searching for answer to questions unknown, which was exactly the way Hiccup felt.

Jack's eyes flew open the second Hiccup started playing. Hiccup's song reached out to him and he felt every note resonating in his heart. He felt the joy, the hope, the loneliness, the sadness, every emotion that Hiccup poured into his song. Jack felt tears rising behind his eyes. Hiccup looked at his hands with a sad smile. He was glad he had been able to vent a bit of his frustration. It felt good. When he looked up he saw Jack standing in the distance. Suddenly, he felt like playing some more. He closed his eyes, and played. The orchestra of flowers followed his every movement. It began soft and gentle, just like before, only less melancholy. This tune was more hopeful. Hiccup didn't dwell in the past this time, but imagined a future. One where he was happy and at peace. Somehow, he couldn't picture a future like that without Jack.  
The sound swelled and filled all of the Warren as everything in it joined Hiccup. The plants that could joined in the melody, the others swayed in the breeze and glowed with light and color. Hiccup was oblivious to it all and kept playing.

Jack didn't know where to look. It was a beautiful sight. The very air vibrated with the song. The entire Warren was coming to full bloom. The melody echoed in Jack's heart. Tears streamed down his face. The song moved him inside and out. The tune had a hint of sadness and longing. And hope. It was so full of hope that Jack could only smile his most honest, heartfelt smile. It made him happier than anything he knew. Even a all-out blizzard didn't compare to this feeling.  
Jack ran along the rainbow river, his staff hovering over the surface. The paint froze and followed the piece of wood. In time with the song, Jack swirled around, sending the frozen paint into the sky.  
Hiccup looked up when he felt something cold land on his nose. He watched the snow float down in a thousand colors. His heart swelled with excitement and emotion, and the song with it. Both swelled with a new warmth as the cotton-like specks fell. He wondered if this was what the inside of a rainbow would look like.  
The vines let go of his fingers as he stood up, but the melody continued. Hiccup ran through the colored snow, as did Jack. Jack took Hiccup's hand and lifted him up into the air. The tune reached the grand finale. It was as loud as thunder and as soft as a breeze at the same time. It left the two immortal teens' hearts pounding. They looked at each other, eyes filled with bliss and magic. Their faces kept coming closer until they was only an inch between them. Jack rested his forehead against Hiccup's and closed his eyes. Hiccup did the same as they gently floated down. The snow had also stopped. The song had only lasted about three minutes, but those moments had seen like forever.

"That was beautiful." Jack said. "You too." Hiccup responded. "That snow was amazing." "Where did you learn to play like that?" Jack asked, still lost in Hiccup's green eyes. "It's because his heart is as pure as the moon's light." Bunny explained. They hadn't even seen him hop up to them. "You played your soul mate." Bunny looked at the two with warm green eyes. The Warren hadn't been so alive in over 400 years. He had a feeling this year's Easter was gonna be the best ever.  
Suddenly a different sound caught their attention. Toothless screeched, shot a fireball at something, and ran up to Hiccup. "Crickey! What's going on?" Bunnymund said, immediately on alert. His nose twitched anxiously. Jack took a fighting stance and Hiccup mounted Toothless. Two large stone eggs with angry faces approached, sporting several scorch- and claw marks. Jack and Bunny relaxed while Toothless growled at the Sentinels. "Nothin' to worry about mates." Bunny said and hopped towards the living rocks. He seemed to be talking to them. The egg-creatures turned their heads to a friendly face, then turned their legs and walked away. Bunny hopped back to the others.  
"Seem like your scaly friend here was wandering around a bit too close to the nests." Toothless lowered his head and looked away. He was only following that little egg when suddenly those two stone faces popped up. "Don't worry 'bout it mate," Bunny said and patted the dragon's side with his soft paw. "But I should check up on the eggs. Those googies are awfully sensitive. Why don't you check on Sandy? He should be about done with his rounds by now." Hiccup nodded. "Thanks for everything Bunny," he said. "My pleasure mate. Oh before you go, here's a little something." He threw a small colorful egg into Hiccup's hands. "It grew from your song. I've got a feeling it'll come in handy sometime. "Thanks cottontail." Jack grinned and reached for a snow globe. "Oh you won't need that frostbite." Now it was Bunny's turn to grin. He tapped his foot twice and a hole appeared underneath the trio. They fell into the tunnel, Hiccup and Toothless screaming, and Jack laughing like a madman. The hole closed just as fast as it had appeared, a flower sprouting where it had been. "Good luck mate." He smiled and turned around. Bunny hopped off to the nest before his eggs cracked under the stress. "Don't worry pretties!Daddy's coming!"

* * *

**Ok, I know it doesn't seem like much, but I decided to cut the chapter in two here. I already have Sandman's island, but I still have to do the Tooth Palace and I was already at 8000 words. So yeah... :S**

**And I know I promised Pitch, but now that won't happen until next chapter. I'm sorry!  
But the next part is about almost done already, so I promise to have it up before the end of the week at least.**

**Btw, Chris is supposed to be the Yeti that slammed the door open in the movie. He has a bad habit of entering without knocking.**

**update: this chapter is now beta-proofed by happywanderer2**


	6. Chapter 6 Stories

**Well here we are. I really want to apologize for taking so long with the previous chapter, but if I'd known that it would be this long, I would have split it sooner. Sorry!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 6, revealing more about Sandy and Tooth before they became guardians. I hope you've got some tissues ready.**

* * *

**Stories**

Hiccup, Jack, and Toothless whooshed through the tunnel like a giant slide. "Woohoo!" Surprisingly, it wasn't Jack, but Hiccup who cheered. The wild ride brought out his inner child. Jack helped Hiccup to his feet. "Race you!" He grinned. Hiccup had no intention of losing and, crouching into a surfer-pose, quickly passed Jack. The auburn-haired teen looked back and shot the other a playful wink. Jack grinned. He was so not going to lose. He increased his speed and was closing in on his friend. Toothless' eyes narrowed. He was not letting ice boy beat his best friend. He folded his wings back and he pulled his legs up, going into a belly slide for more speed. He caught up with the two humans and spat a small fireball at Jack's feet. The white-haired boy avoided it easily, much to the dragon's aggravation.  
If he couldn't knock his rival off course, he would just have to reach the finish first. He focused on the brunette in front of them, who was completely oblivious to the rivalry behind him. The Frost Spirit and the dragon were neck-and-neck. Toothless laid his ears and feelers flat against his head, gaining a few inches. Jack stretched his hand, almost touching the Viking's vest. Toothless was just as close. Both were exchanging glances with each other and their prize when suddenly the underground tunnel went and spat the competitors out.

They rolled down a golden dune, laughing like a bunch of lunatics. "I won!" Hiccup was the first back on his feet. "I can't believe I actually won!" Hiccup had never won anything before. Kids in Berk were always bigger, faster and stronger than him. It made the taste of victory so much sweeter. "Glad you're having fun Hic." Jack chuckled. "I, on the other hand, have sand in places I didn't even know I had," he joked, making Hiccup laugh.  
"Now don't be a sore loser Jack." He chuckled as he reached out his hand and helped the other up. Toothless shook the sand off and stepped between the two boys. Being subtle wasn't getting him anywhere. The Guardian of Fun shot the Night Fury a menacing glare which was returned. Hiccup was about to ask what was going on when the sand beneath their feet began to shift. Toothless dug his claws in, Jack had to lean on his staff and Hiccup just fell on his bum. He looked around and saw the sand was shifting like the sea. And several feet above it swam a golden humpback, carrying them on top. The trio gazed in awe as the whale blew a golden fountain from its blow hole.

The wonder only continued. The gold 'water' shifted into a thousand butterflies. Where the golden bugs landed, huge flowers sprouted. They grew into a jungle, covering the entire island. Because that's what it was. Hiccup was high enough to see everything. The bright golden sand stood in great contrast with the deep blue around it.  
The island itself seemed to be alive, its long, thin tendrils stretching and retracting in all directions. Many golden creatures roamed the island. Mantas, birds and giant dragonflies soared through the sky while dinosaurs, unicorns and giant wolves walked below. Dolphins and mer-folk swam in the rivers of sand. It was like something from a dream. No, it was a dream. There was no other way to describe it. Toothless closed his eyes and enjoyed the wind on his face. I was nice to fly on someone else's back for a change.

The whale flew toward the center of the island, where a small house stood in a flowery meadow. Puffs of gold smoke came from the chimney, meaning Sandy was home. The humpback dove toward the ground without slowing down. It looked like it was going to crash into the ground, but instead it merged with the ground, leaving the three on Sandy's doorstep.  
"Thank you!" Jack shouted after the whale, one last golden spray reaching for the sky as it went. The door opened and Sanderson Mansnoozie appeared. He beckoned them in. Inside, the little cottage looked more like a mansion. He gestured for them to sit down. When they did, a platter with cookies and tea appeared for the two boys, and a bowl with fish for Toothless. "Uhm... Thanks Sandy, but we're not really hungry," Hiccup said. Toothless agreed. Of course, the fact that the food offered was made from sand played a part as well. The trays dissolved into nothing. Sandy floated to the middle of the room and made the chairs move closer.

He sprinkled some dream-sand in their eyes, making Toothless sneeze. "Sandy?" Hiccup asked a little nervously. The Sandman flashed the image of movie projector above his head. Hiccup of course didn't understand what that meant, but Jack did. "He's gonna share a dream with us," he told Hiccup. Sandy nodded and poured some sand on the floor. The floor turned from gold to a light blue as it became the sky. It felt like they were in free-fall and Hiccup clutched Jack's hand unintentionally. Jack looked at the brunette and saw he was actually scared. "Don't worry, it's just a dream. You'll be fine," he whispered to Hiccup and placed his hand on Hiccup's to calm him.

The falling sensation stopped and they were in the streets of some big harbor. They saw a small kid in rags run past them. Even though he was still a kid, they easily recognized him. His blond hair was styled in the familiar five points, his golden brown eyes had that familiar glint in them. A glint of dreams yet to come true. He was a lot skinnier than he was now and looked to be about ten years old. He ran through the streets, an old, worn book under his arms.  
"Sandy, is that you?" Hiccup asked. The short round man nodded and looked back at his past self. He ran through a huge metal gate. 'Orphanage' was written above it. They followed little Sandy to the sleeping chambers, where he hid the book under a pillow.  
Later that night, little Sandy pulled the book from underneath his pillow, lit a candle and gathered the other orphans. He opened the book, which turned out to be a fairytale book, and began to read to the others. His voice and the gestures he made brought happy smiles to their little faces. These children had obviously gone through a lot in their young lives, but Sandy was able to make them forget their troubles for a while. Even the older kids enjoyed his story. When he finished reading, he carried the littlest ones to their beds and tucked them in. He read them stories every night, and when the nuns that ran the orphanage confiscated his book, he made up his own stories. Thanks to him, the others always went to sleep with smiles on their faces. He even went as far as to hide when couples visited, looking for a child to adopt. If he was adopted, he wouldn't be able to make the others smile anymore. Even though it hurt his little heart to watch his friends leave one by one, he endured it all. Bringing happiness and dreams was more important to him.

The image fell apart like sand in the wind and changed. It must have been several years later, as Sandy had grown into a rather handsome young man. He was muscular and even had a good foot on Jack, who was a few inches taller than Hiccup. If it hadn't been for his trademark hairstyle, and his eyes, they would have never guessed it was him. Toothless, Hiccup and Jack stared at the stunning man in front of them, then at Sandy, then back at the man, and back to Sandy. Sandy chuckled silently. He admitted he had changed quite a lot since becoming a guardian.  
The man stood in the harbor, a rucksack hoisted over his shoulder. He stood with one foot on a pole, looking out at the sea. He wore a simple white sleeveless shirt, showing his muscles. His blond hair looked like gold in the sun's light, and his face and arms were colored bronze from working outside.  
Today, he would ship out for the first time. He was excited and hungry for adventure. He would have so many stories to tell when he came back.

Sandy was checking his luggage as the ship cast off. Unlike most of the crew, he didn't have anyone to say goodbye to. But when he heard his name, he looked up. Not a lot of people were called 'Sandy' after all. All his old friends from the orphanage were standing on the docks, waving. "Be safe Sandy!" "See you soon!" "We'll miss you!" "Don't forget to bring back some good stories!" Sandy was completely speechless. He had never expected his old friends to even remember him, let alone come and see him off. Tears streamed down his face as he shouted back. "I'll be back guys! Count on it! I'll have so many stories to tell you!" Seeing those memories, a silent tear ran down the Sandman's cheek.

A crack of thunder tore the sky open and the scene changed to a place the sailors called the devil's triangle. The waves were taller than the ship, lightning and thunder ripped the raging world apart. The ship's cargo was thrown overboard to lighten the vessel. The waves rolled over the deck, almost washing away some of the crew. The storm was so bad, it ripped parts of the ship clean off. Even the lifeboats were gone.  
Sandy was ordered to secure the lifelines. He had secured them all when a towering wave knocked the ship over. It knocked Sandy overboard. Sandy's eyes filled with horror as he watched his lifeline snap, handing him over to Poseidon's mercy. He was pushed under. When he resurfaced, the ship was already too far away. Then, a wave twice as big as the ship smashed it into pieces. The sea swirled, taking everything with it. No one escaped it. No one ever reached the surface.  
Then, as if the sea had claimed its terrible price, the storm subsided. Sandy clutched to a large piece of driftwood, tears streaming from his eyes. Tears for his lost comrades, tears for his own life, and tears for the friends he would never see again.

Sandy drifted on the waves for days. Hiccup, Jack and Toothless saw the healthy young man slowly starving . They watched helplessly as their friend became a shadow of his former self. Hiccup was so upset that Jack had to hold him in his arms. Sandy's hair had become dull and dry, his eyes had lost their hopeful gleam and his face was hollow. His voice was completely gone from telling stories for days on end. He told them, hoping, wishing that somehow, someway, they would reach his friends. It was all he could do to keep from losing his mind. Or maybe he had already lost it.  
That night, he had no more strength left. He felt himself slipping away.  
Thousands of stars sparkled like diamonds in the sky. Sandy's empty golden eyes were about to close for the last time, when one of those stars caught his attention. Brighter than the others, shining with a bright golden glow. With the last bit of strength he could muster, he reached out to that star, making a silent wish. He wished for the children of the world. He wished that they would always have a dream in their heart and that they could always sleep with a smile on their face, no matter what problems they had.

His hand dropped to his side. He had no strength left. He felt himself slipping into a dark, dreamless sleep when a bright light forced his eyes open. The star was getting bigger, brighter. It hit the water near his improvised raft. The waves swirled and Sandy thought he would fall off and drown. But when he fell, there was no water. Only golden sand. It flowed from the star like a spring. Tendrils of sand stretched out in all directions, reaching further and further. He crawled toward the star, wanting to see it for himself. If this was his final adventure, his final dream, he had to keep going until the end.  
The sand lifted him up against the stream. His eyes held that wishful glint once again when he saw it. A ball of golden light, heavy as sand. When he reached out for it, it shifted. It swirled around his arm and over his entire body. It lifted him up in the sky, swirling around him like a sandstorm of golden light. Tendrils pierced Sandy's body, part of him falling off like sand every time. It kept going until he looked like he did today. The star had stripped away everything until only his dreams remained.

He looked at his now tiny hands, wondering what had happened to his big strong ones. He walked over to the water's edge. He looked at his reflection. Short and squat, dressed in a rippling single-piece suit, made entirely out of the golden sand. His hair stood up in his familiar five points, and glittered like the sand. The star was gone, but he could still feel its warmth. It had done something to him. He didn't quite understand what, but all of his fatigue and hunger had vanished.  
He wanted to see his friends, and suddenly the sand shifted underneath him. It formed a cloud and flew away with him on top. In a matter of minutes he was at his old town. He couldn't believe it! He was back home! He flew straight toward the house of one of his friends and straight through the open window. His friend was sitting in an armchair, staring blankly at a picture. Sandy walked, or rather floated, to his friend. He was crying! "Poor Sandy. Why did it have to be him?" Sandy looked at the picture. It was a picture of him and his friend on his last day in the orphanage. Sandy tried to tell him he was alive, but no sound came from his mouth. Instead, images flashed above his head. He wanted to touch the other, but his hand passed straight through him. His eyes widened in horror. He floated right in front of his friend's face, waving his arms wildly, but he just didn't see him. Even his wife, who entered to bring her husband a blanket, walked straight through him. The little sand-clad man was heartbroken. His friend was in pain, and he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even put his arms around him and tell him everything would be alright like he used to.

He floated out the window, wanting to disappear all together. But when he passed by his friend's daughter's window, he stopped. Her little face was twisted by whatever nightmare plagued her mind. He wanted to help her. Tell her a story. And as soon as he thought of good story to tell, the sand began to glow. It swirled from his hands and towards the child. He watched in awe as the sand whirled above her little head and he saw the story he had wanted to tell her play out in the sand. Her expression became happy and calm, and so did Sandy's. He could use his sand to tell stories! Was that why the star had fallen from the heavens? To grant him his wish? Whether it was destiny or chance, it didn't matter. He raised his cloud high above the city and focused. The sand formed streams and flew to all the children. Sandy noticed his sand didn't affect the adults though.  
When he was done, he floated from window to window, watching all the kids dream. It made him happier than anything before.

When dawn came, the sun's rays turned the dream-sand into a golden light that floated on the wind. They had blossomed into wishes, because a wish always begins with a dream. He floated back to his friend's house, just in time to watch the little girl jump out of bed and run to her father. Eager to share the wonderful dream she'd had. Her father gave her a tired smile, but as she was telling, his expression changed. His ran to his daughter's room and looked around. He checked under the bed, in the closet, even her drawers. He opened the window, but he saw nothing but the warm morning glow.  
How did his daughter know that story? Sandy had told him that story on his first night in the orphanage. He had forgotten it completely till now, and it wasn't in any books either. There was no way she could have known that story. "Sandy," he whispered as a gentle smile grew on his face. "Daddy? Are you alright?" A small voice sounded behind him. His daughter was giving him a worried look. He hugged the child tightly. "Thank you," he said, tears of happiness ran down his cheeks. Sandy felt tears rising too. He was happy beyond belief. He floated back to his island. That's what it was. That magical place would be his home from now on.

That night, he watched the sky. He had been practicing his sand bending powers all day. He was about to fall asleep when he heard a voice in his head. Hiccup recognized the voice. It was the same voice that had welcomed him.

_**"You have been given the power to give dreams. Will you, Sanderson Mansnoozie, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life? Their hopes, their wishes and their dreams? For they are all that we have. All that we are, and all that we will ever be."**_Sandy looked at the moon and nodded firmly. Of course he would. What could be his purpose if not to help those in need? _**"Then rise, Sandman. For you are now, and forever more, a Guardian. The protector of Dreams."**_ And with that, the voice was gone, and so was the dream.

Hiccup slumped to the ground and Jack knelt beside him. Sandy placed a tiny hand on the boy's shoulder. His green eyes looked at the golden Guardian. Sandy smiled at both boys. Even Toothless gave the tiny man a gentle nudge. They really admired the little man. He had endured so much and still thought of others first. "Sandy," Jack asked. "Why did you show us this?" Even the frosty teen had never seen the Sandman's past before.  
Sandy pointed at Hiccup. "Me?" The brunette asked. Sandy nodded and flashed some images. A sad face, a clock and a happy face. "You wanted to tell me that no matter what happens, in time, everything will be better?" Hiccup nodded firmly, excited that the boy had understood the message.  
Jack placed his hand on Hiccup's shoulder, and Toothless rubbed his nose against him. Sandy gave him a warm smile, and he knew that he would never be alone. He had friends who would stand by his side, no matter what.

They talked some more and Sandy even told a story or two. But as all good things do, they come to an end. When Sandy escorted them outside Hiccup noticed one door that was different. It was unlike anything else on the island. Everything had a golden color, but this door was covered in a thick purple aura. It had an eerie feel to it, but at the same time it beckoned him. Like an angler fish, luring its prey to its doom. Hiccup's hand reached for the doorknob when a sand-whip caught his hand and pulled him away from the door. Sandy's eyes were filled with horror. Even Jack was shaking. "Never open that door!" The white-haired boy said. "Why not?" Hiccup asked. "That's where the fan-girl dreams come from." "What's so scary about fan-girls?" The brunette asked. Jack face became serious. Now Hiccup was really worried. "Even Pitch wouldn't dare to open that door," Jack said. Sandy nodded in confirmation. "If that door is really so dangerous, why don't you just destroy it or something?" Hiccup asked. "Because nothing can stop the power of fan-girls.  
_Nothing!_" Jack answered. Deciding to drop the topic, Hiccup put his hands up in surrender.  
Sandy made a gesture and the walls sank into the ground. The ceiling transformed into an airplane, large enough for all to sit in. "Where are we going?" Hiccup asked as he got inside. Toothless was already seated in the front next to Sandy. The Sandman flashed a tooth above his head. Hiccup nodded. Jack sat down next to Hiccup. Toothless considered changing places, but he needed a clear view when flying. His instincts refused to let him fly blind, even if he wasn't the one flying, so he stayed in his seat. Sandy gave him a pat. He was happy Hiccup had such a good friend. Even if he was slightly possessive. He adjusted his goggles and off they flew. Streams of sand shot left and right as they went, bringing dreams to children all over the world.

Before long, they were flying over Asia. Punjam Hy Loo was to the south, but Sandy had to go west. He waved goodbye to his friends. Hiccup wondered what he meant by that when his seat disappeared beneath him. Sandy had opened a trapdoor, but of course he had given them parachutes as well. Sandy waved one more time before turning to the west. "Yeah. Thanks for dropping us off," Hiccup said sarcastically. "Haha! Don't be such a sourpuss," Jack said, floating next to Hiccup like a snowflake. He didn't need a parachute. He noticed Toothless trying to steer closer to them. 'Three is a crowd,' he thought. After one nonchalant move of his staff, the wind carried Toothless half a mile further. "Toothless!" Hiccup cried out to his companion. "Ah don't worry about him. We'll find him later." Jack grinned. "Did you have anything to do with that?" Hiccup asked the mischievous frost sprite. His green eyes seemed to look straight through Jack. He shrugged. Hiccup sighed.

They reached the top of the canopy. Jack dropped the last two feet and caught Hiccup bridal-style. "What's with you and carrying me?" Hiccup asked, trying the ignore the way Jack's blue eyes shimmered in the starlight and attempted to hide his blush. "Maybe you remind me of a princess," he joked. "The princess usually uses the prince as bait to lure the dragon out, and sometimes even sacrifices him to Wodan." Jack stared at Hiccup in silence. "Just what kind of messed up fairy tales did you have in Berk?!" He finally exclaimed. Hiccup chuckled. "Trust me, that was one of the happier endings." Jack stared at Hiccup disbelieving.

Suddenly Toothless jumped out from the canopy and pounced on Jack, pinning him down. He growled angrily at the icy boy. He really had it with him getting close to his friend. "Toothless!" Hiccup shouted. "Stop that right now!" Toothless looked at him in disbelief. He was taking Frost's side? He let go of the Guardian, who gave him a smug grin. "Wipe that grin of your face Jack," Hiccup said. "I was talking to the both of you." The Night Fury and the Guardian looked at their feet like two kids getting scolded. "What is going on with you two? You think I didn't notice how you two seem to be competing for me? I'm not some prize you can win!" Hiccup sighed and rubbed his eyes.  
"Look, Toothless, you're my first and best friend. I don't know what I would do without you. We'll always be together, and nothing will change that." The dragon looked at him with big eyes. "And Jack, even though we haven't known each other for long, it feels so good to be with you. I really, really like you. And I want to be with you too." Hiccup was getting teary, as were the other two. "I want to be with both of you because you're both so very important to me. But how can I if the only thing you do is fight? Over me of all things. I'm not worth that! All I want is for all of us to get along," he sobbed.  
Jack and Toothless exchanged glances. They realized they had gone too far. Toothless rubbed his head under Hiccup's and Jack put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "We're sorry," Jack said. "You're very important to us too. And you are worth it. More than you know." He hugged the auburn-haired boy, and Toothless hugged them both. They let him go and Toothless purred at Jack. "Yeah, I'm sorry too," he said and put his hand on the dragon's forehead. "I've been acting like a jealous little brat. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried to keep him for myself." Toothless felt the same way. "Friends?" The blue-eyed boy asked, extending his hand to the dragon. Toothless looked at the hand, then gave Jack a big lick on his face. "Yeag!" His tongue felt like sandpaper, only a lot slimier. Toothless almost immediately regretted licking the cold boy. His tongue was frozen stuck! He tried to pull it loose. "Auw! My hair! Let go!" Jack cried. Hiccup was having a laughing fit. "Well glad to see at least someone is enjoying this." Jack's glare was matched by Toothless's. Toothless heated his breath just enough to melt his tongue free. He brushed it with his paw and Jack rubbed the slime off his face. Hiccup grabbed both of them into a hug. "Thanks," he said.

Hiccup got on Toothless' back and followed Jack. The Tooth Palace shone a deep indigo against the night sky. It seemed to float somewhere between the stars and the moon. This time they decided to take the main entrance. As soon as they landed, a small colorful ball of feathers was on Jack's nose. "Baby Tooth!" He was happy to see his little feathery friend again. She flew over to Hiccup and hugged his nose too. She hesitated a moment, then gave Toothless a quick hug as well.  
"Oh there you are!" Toothiana chirped. "I've been waiting for you! I've been wanting to get a good look at your teeth," she said to Hiccup. "My what?" the Viking boy responded, but the Tooth Fairy was already poking around in his mouth. "Hm-hm. Oh yes. Very nice. What's this? Tee-hee. Well this is interesting." Whatever discovery she had made in Hiccup's mouth, it brought a gleeful smile to her face. "Tooth, fingers out of mouth," Jack said, doing his best impression of North. "Oh sure. Sorry Hiccup. Teeth are kinda my thing you know. And I can get a little carried away sometimes. But we should go inside. Come in, come in." She fluttered ahead, bubbly as ever. Hiccup looked at Jack who shrugged. It's just how she was. He'd been there. Baby Tooth giggled before flying after her mother.

"Over there is the European Pillar, and that one's the Asian Pillar." Tooth flitted about, pointing at the seven main pillars. "North America, South America, Oceania, Africa, and Antarctica," she chirped. "Each pillar has a library to store all the children's teeth and can even expand in time to house all of them. And we, are in the central tower. This is where I and the Tooth fairies rest when we're not on duty." "Aren't you always needed?" Hiccup asked. "I mean, it's always night on one side of the planet." He had figured out how the world turned around the sun when he'd seen North's globe. He was awfully smart, especially for a Viking. "We work in shifts of course. We may be immortal, but we don't want to work ourselves to death," Tooth answered, Baby Tooth nodded.

Tooth showed them around the central tower, explained the various murals that decorated the palace and explained the importance of what they did. The Palace was buzzing like a beehive. Tooth Fairies were flying back and forth, faster than wind, picking up coins and placing teeth in their boxes. Toothiana explained that a child's teeth hold the most precious memories of childhood. "When a child, or even an adult, is confused, lost, troubled or uncertain, when they are losing their way, we return their teeth to them. Only I, my Fairies and the original owner of the teeth can open the box. It will help them to remember all the things that made them who they are, so they can find their true path," Tooth explained, her hand gently running over a mural of children holding out their teeth to the Tooth Fairy. "Do- do you have my teeth as well?" Hiccup asked. "Oh dear," Toothiana said, brushing his hair in a motherly fashion. "I'm afraid I wasn't the Tooth Fairy back in the Viking era. I'm sorry." "It's ok. I just..." A deep sigh escaped the young brunette's lips. "I don't remember my mother. I remember what it felt like to be with her, but I don't have a clue what she looked like. I guess I just wanted to know," he explained. "Oh Hiccup!" She held him tightly in her arms, and Baby Tooth hugged his cheek.

"Tooth. How did you become a Guardian?" Hiccup asked. Toothiana's face grew serious. "It's just, well, the way you said it made it sound like you weren't always the Tooth Fairy." She sighed. "You're really smart aren't you? Okay, I'll tell you my story. Baby Tooth, would you get us some tea dear?" Baby Tooth chirped happily and flew off.  
A little later, they were all sitting in front of Toothiana, sipping on some delightful jasmine tea. Although Jack's cup soon became ice tea. Toothiana put her cup aside and offered her guests some tooth-shaped cookies. They were rather hungry and gladly accepted. "Well then," she said, ready to begin her story. "I'm the daughter of Haroom and Rashmi. They were the kindest persons imaginable. In our village, everybody loved them. But, our country was invaded by the Monkey King. They said he was once a mighty maharajah who was cursed for his evil deeds. But instead of changing his ways, he grew even more vicious. He took all the land he desired and killed those that would stand in his way. He robbed the earth of all it had to offer, causing great suffering for the animals too.  
One day, his army of monkey-men reached our village. They soon realized we were only a simple settlement without any riches. So the Monkey King ordered the village to be destroyed and its inhabitants to be killed. The adults fought like lions, but they were no match against their numbers. The children were sent into the jungle to hide, but they were all caught and enslaved. All but me. You see, I was born with the ability to understand all the languages of both men and animals. The creatures of the jungle were my friends and they hid me. They tried to rescue others, but they only ran away, scared by the wild animals." Tooth blew her nose. The memories of her old friends and their screams echoing through the jungle brought back a lot of pain.

"I stayed in the panther's cave. I just sat there. I didn't even cry, but I was completely broken. Everything I knew was gone, destroyed. All because of one mad king. I didn't eat or drink. But a few days later, a snake brought me something. It was a small puzzle-box my parents used to have. It was carved from one ruby. I tried to open it, but I couldn't figure out how. But just when I was completely at a loss, the box suddenly began glowing. It opened. In it were my baby teeth, along with a small note. It was from my parents.  
_'Our Dearest Girl,  
these are the teeth of your childhood. If you have them under your pillow in your sleep, or if you hold them tightly, you will remember that which you need-a memory of happy days, or of deepest hopes, or even of us in better days.  
But one tooth is not yours. It's a tooth of amazing power, and from what being it comes, we did not know.  
Use it only in times of great danger or need.  
Your Dearest Parents'_  
I still didn't cry. I put the box under my pillow and slept for three days straight, letting the hopes and dreams and happiness of my childhood wrap around me in a loving blanket." A warm smile now adorned her face. The two teens and the dragon were listening intently.

"When I woke up, I had changed. Something inside me was different. I wasn't sad anymore. My parents had given me so much. How could I be sad if they were willing to sacrifice themselves for me? When I stepped out of the cave, all the animals were waiting for me. They had gathered the ripest and sweetest fruits for me and fresh water. I thanked every one of them. I ate until I had regained my strength. That's when I made a decision. I would bring an end to the Monkey King's evil reign. Not out of vengeance, but to make sure no one else would suffer under his reign. My parents wouldn't have wanted me to become an avenger.  
I told my friends what I wanted to do and the birds brought as many feathers as they could. The tigers brought me two swords from the ruins of my village. I stuck the feathers to my skin with tree sap to look like a forest sprite. Having seen how superstitious the monkey-men were, I knew my disguise would be perfect. The moment I took hold of the blades, it was as if they were an extension of my arms. I had never held a blade before, but I swung them like I had never done anything else. I figure that extra tooth had given me the knowledge of how to use one. I still don't know where that tooth came from." She stared at her hands pensively.

She shook her head. "Where was I? Oh yeah! So I went to the Monkey King's castle accompanied by the animals. They also had a bone to pick with the former maharajah. I managed to sneak into the castle grounds unnoticed, but once I was inside, my feathers made me stand out like sore thumb. So I went with plan B." "What was plan B?" Jack asked. "Rush in, blades swinging, screaming my head off like a mad harpy." The trio gave her a blank stare. Was she serious? She even sounded proud of it.  
"It worked like a charm. Of course it helps when half of the jungle's inhabitants charge in with you," She beamed. "Most ran away screaming like little girls, going on about how the forest was coming for them. The ones that didn't run put up quite the fight, but we conquered them." There was a glint of excitement in her eyes, reliving the glory of battle, if only in her mind. Those eyes told Hiccup never to get on her bad side.  
"But then he came out. The Monkey King. He let out feral cry that barely resembled anything human. He lit many torches, the fire chased my friends away. I now had to face him alone. He knew I wasn't a forest sprite, but just a young woman. I fought with all I had, my blades clashing with his. But in the end, I wasn't good enough. I was disarmed and wounded. The tip of his blade pressed against my throat. And I- I was scared. Scared like the little girl I was.  
But there was more. I disappointed my parents. They had given everything, even their lives to protect me. And now it was all for nothing. I clutched the ruby box in my hands, silently praying to whatever force would hear me. Then I saw a little face eying me from the distance. It was one of the children from my village. The hard work had already scarred his little body. When I saw him, a new rage came over me. I didn't want him to suffer. I wanted to protect him. I wanted to protect everyone. I wanted to make sure that no one would ever have to go through the things I had gone through.  
As if it had read my heart, the crimson box began to glow. A strong wind knocked the evil ruler off his feet and lifted me into the air. All I saw in that moment was red flashing before my eyes, shining like diamonds. And just as suddenly as it had come, it was gone."

Toothiana looked at the boys and the dragon, all of whom were on the edge off their seats. Even Baby Tooth almost fell off Jack's head. She knew this tale inside out, yet never got tired of hearing her mother tell it. "Well what happened?" Jack asked, getting impatient. "Tell us!" Hiccup agreed. Even Toothless growled for her to continue.  
"Okay, okay. The red light was gone, and so was the box. But all the memories in it were now inside me. I felt an enormous power surge through me, my wounds healed. I picked up my blades and when I looked at my reflection in them, I understood why the Monkey King was staring at me in awe. My once brown eyes had become violet, my hair had been replaced with feathers, which covered my entire body. And on my back was a pair of wings. But I didn't have long to admire my new appearance. The evil king got up and charged at me. With a mere thought, my wings began to buzz and I shot up into the sky, far out of the king's reach.  
Armed with new courage and purpose, I charged at the fiend. I was faster than anything either of us had ever seen. My blades sliced ferociously, and soon, it was the Monkey King who was unarmed. Seeing he was defeated, he cried out for his guard. From everywhere, the monkey-men came crawling. They grabbed the enslaved children, holding their blades against their little chests. If I did not surrender, they would kill the children. My wings buzzed with anger. I was infuriated. Just how low could this vile creature go? My wings fluttered so fast, they created an enormous gust of wind. It blew out the torches, and the animals came rushing to our rescue. The monkey-men dropped their weapons and ran into the jungle, never to be seen again.  
The Monkey King was furious. His army was gone, he had no leverage anymore, and all because of one little girl. He picked up his sword again and charged at me. With a few slashes, he was disarmed. I lifted him by his throat. I wanted to kill him so badly. To make him pay for all the suffering he had caused. For all the suffering he had caused me. But I heard my parent's voices in the back of my head. They wouldn't want me to become a murderer. And honestly, neither did I. I wanted to be a protector. I wanted to protect the children and their innocence. But how could I do that if I threw my own innocence away so easily?  
So I left him to the animals. Let the law of the jungle judge him. The animals of the jungle charged at the Monkey King and attacked, clawing and biting and smashing. His screams could be heard all the way up to the Moon. When all was done with Monkey King, I took the children inside and made sure each one of them had a proper meal and bath.  
The next day, I sent them off with as much gold and jewels from the King's vault as they could carry. It was a very emotional farewell. One of them had just lost her tooth, and she gave to me as thanks for saving them. As the animals escorted them through the jungle I was left alone with my thoughts. I had done it. I had brought down the Monkey King. But what should I do now? I still wanted to protect the children. Not just the ones from my old village, but all the children of the world. It seemed silly, one person trying to protect millions of children, but I couldn't help but feeling that way. As I rolled the little girl's tooth around in my hand it hit me! If I could collect the children's teeth, I could give them back when they needed them. But I could never do that on my own.  
That's when I first heard him. The Man in the Moon. _**'I can help you.'**_ He said. _**'If you vow to always protect the children of the world, their hopes, their wishes and their dreams. For they are all that we have. All that we are, and all that we will ever be.'**_ I vowed to do so until the end of my days. _**'Then you are now and forevermore a Guardian. Toothiana, the Tooth Fairy.'**_ The moon's light grew brighter and the ground began to shake. The palace rose from the earth, into the sky. Its colors changed and murals appeared on the walls. The entire palace was transformed into what it is today. And the gold and diamonds that were left in the King's vault turned into little eggs. That's what the mini-fairies hatched out of. Each and every one of them has a heart of gold and a soul that shines like a diamond. I also have a telepathic connection with each one of them. Good thing too."She sighed thinking about how hard it was to train them. Even after all these years, the newly-hatched were quite a handful.

"That night, we set out, and sure enough, we found teeth, tucked away underneath children's pillows. MiM had planted the idea into their head to help me on my way. And that is how I became the Tooth Fairy!" Jack, Hiccup and Toothless stared at her in awe. Who would have thought that beneath her sweet, bubbly, charismatic and motherly exterior, was a fearless war-queen?  
The striking of the clock caught their attention. "Oh my! It's this late already?!" Tooth was already on her way out when she turned around and flew back and gave all three a big hug. "I'm sorry I can't stay. Not all of us get to work only one day a year you know," she said, slightly envious of Bunny and North. "Baby Tooth, will you show them to the guest rooms? Thanks!" She flew out the window. "Goodnight boys!" she shouted before disappearing from sight.  
Baby Tooth led them to a large room with two of the softest, largest beds either of the teens had ever seen. Toothless was more interested in the fireplace, which was large enough for him to lie in. Which he of course immediately did. Exhausted from all the traveling, he quickly fell asleep. Baby Tooth said them goodnight and went after her mother.

Jack removed his sweater and casually threw it on the chair to next to his bed. He looked at Hiccup who neatly folded his vest before putting it on his chair. He was standing with his back to Jack when he took his green shirt off. Jack couldn't help but stare. The few freckles scattered across his body only made him look cuter in Jack's opinion. Even from behind he could see that Hiccup wasn't as skinny as he appeared. He could see the hints of muscles underneath his skin. It reminded Jack of a flower, about to blossom. Hiccup felt Jack's blue stare burning on his skin. He turned around. "Is everything alright?" he asked, a light blush adorning his face. Jack looked into Hiccup's eyes with a warm smile. "Everything is just..." His bright blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight as they glided over Hiccup's body. "fine." He walked out onto the balcony and breathed in the cold evening air.  
Now it was Hiccup's turn to stare. Jack's pale skin was like flawless marble. It shone like silver in the moon's rays. And earlier, he had seen his front too. Jack wasn't necessarily muscular, but what muscles he had showed nicely. His blue eyes had looked like they would pierce his soul, his white hair sparkled like freshly fallen snow, and his smile had been filled with a warmth Hiccup had never seen before.

He sighed, then walked onto the balcony with Jack. He wrapped his arms around the white-haired frost sprite, resting his head between his shoulder blades. It felt good to have the other's bare back pressed against his stomach. He was glad the other couldn't see him blush. Even though Jack was supposed to be cold to touch, he felt warm.  
Jack heard Hiccup's footsteps hesitantly shuffle closer. He was surprised when the shorter boy put his arms around him and rested his head against his back. It had sent a shiver down his spine. It brought back that warm feeling inside him. When Hiccup didn't say anything, he turned around, lifting the brunette's face so their eyes could meet. When he looked in those grass-green eyes, that fire in his heart seemed to explode. The warmth coursed through his entire body. "Hiccup." The auburn-haired viking looked at him, confused by his own feelings. "I promised you didn't I? That I would make you happy." Jack caressed Hiccup's cheek. "I will always be here for you." That's right. Even if he were to change his mind now, it would already be to late. The brunette had already captivated him completely. He only wanted to be with him.  
But at the same time it scared him. What if he couldn't protect the other? What if he couldn't make him happy? Could he let him go? No! If he wasn't strong enough to give the other what he deserved, what he needed, he would just get stronger.  
Jack held Hiccup in his arms as they looked up at the stars. So high up in the atmosphere, the stars were brighter than ever. They shone like a million diamonds, lighting up the sky. Their light danced on the two teens, the Tooth Palace and the world below as they twinkled. A beautiful dance of light and shadow. It reminded Jack of when he had danced with Hiccup in the Warren.

"Hey! A shooting star!" Jack exclaimed. "Quick, make a wish!" Hiccup closed his eyes and folded his hands. "What did you wish for?" Jack asked. "I can't say," Hiccup responded, looking Jack straight in his eyes. It nearly took Jack's breath away. Something in Hiccup's eyes shone like those stars. "Or it won't come true." Hiccup put his arms around the pale-skinned Guardian again, not breaking eye contact. "Thank you Jack. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it every time. I feel like I can become stronger because of you. So thank you." Hiccup stood on the very tips of his toes, almost falling over, and gave Jack a quick kiss on his forehead. He looked the Guardian into his bright blue eyes on more time before saying goodnight and going to bed, blushing lightly the entire time.  
Jack had to restrain himself not to skip toward his own bed. "Hey Hic?" he asked once he was under the covers, his back turned toward Hiccup. "Yeah?" "Goodnight," Jack said with the biggest and happiest smile ever. "Goodnight, Jack." Hiccup said, a content smile on his face as he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

A wandering Tooth Fairy had happened to see Hiccup kiss Jack's forehead and send a mental image to her mother. The high-pitched sound she produced upon receiving it earned a big-eyed stare from a now very much awake and slightly terrified child. "T-t-t-t the Tooth Fairy?!" The child stammered. "Surprise!" Toothiana gave him the youngster an awkward smile.

About an hour later, Jack woke up. He heard Hiccup tossing and turning in his sleep. The muttered cries for help made him even more worried. He walked over to Hiccup's bed and saw he was sweating all over, his face contorted in pain and fear. "Hic wake up! Wake up!" he shouted, trying to wake his friend up from whatever nightmare haunted him. Hiccup's green eyes shot open. He breathed heavily. "Jack?" "I'm here. I'm here. It's alright. It was just a nightmare." Jack sat down next to him and rubbed his back. His breathing calmed. Tears streamed down Hiccup's face. The memory faded, it had torn open a deep wound from his past.  
Once Hiccup had calmed down, Jack was about to go back to his bed, when Hiccup grabbed his hand. He looked at Jack with pleading eyes. "Will- will you stay with me? Just for tonight?" He was ashamed to ask, he was a Viking after all. Well, sort of. But that dream had really shaken him. He didn't want to be alone. Jack sat down next to him again and ran his fingers through his brown hair. "Of course," he said and gave him a kiss on his forehead. He wrapped his arms around Hiccup and watched him until he fell asleep.

Neither had noticed a small stream of dark sand slither from underneath Hiccup's pillow and fall into the darkness under his bed. Far away from Punjam Hy Loo, was a place known as the Pit. A place of everlasting shadows and fear. Far below the murky waters of Venice, below even the thick mud and slimy goo into which it sank more and more every day. Large steel cages dangled from the ceiling, their chains rattling ever so slightly in a non-existent breeze. The old bridges and escalators, even the decrepit walls were all at an angle and covered in mud. And in the deepest part of it, was a tall, lithe man. He was frozen in a black translucent crystal. His skin was an ashen gray color, his slick hair was black as the darkest night. The black robe he wore looked like a shadow.  
The cages began rattling more furiously when the black stream searched for its master. Pitch's golden eyes shot open when it approached his prison. The crystal cracked from side to side, a fiendish grin spread across Pitch's face. His solitary confinement melted like an ice cube on the sun. The boogeyman rose from his slumber. He was free at last!

The little black stream swirled into the air, right in front of its master's face. "Well well. What's this?" A thin smile appeared on his lips as he added more sand to give the nightmare a full body. He made a mental note to keep the leash tighter this time, lest the nightmares would prey on his own fear again. And he did not wish to be imprisoned a second time.  
His smile grew to a grin as the nightmare took full form. "What a pretty little- dragon?!" He eyed the little winged creature in his hands. "Now this is interesting." He disrupted the dragon's sand body and smelled it, taking in its essence. When he sensed the fear that had created such a particular kind of nightmare, a maniacal laugh escaped his lips. "What a marvelous terror! There hasn't been such a darkness in over 500 years." With a motion of his hand, the sand shifted to reveal the one who had dreamed such a deliciously dark dream. "Ah. What a poor, unfortunate boy. But what great fear." He walked around the image the freckled boy with his hands behind his back. "But don't worry. I know how to fix your broken heart. And your fear," He grabbed the boy's chin with his thin, bony fingers. "Your fear WILL be mine!" The chains rattled and shook, and the shadows danced in the Pit as Pitch's mad laugh echoed through the underground realm.

The Nightmare King was back!

* * *

**Phew, I'm beat! That took some time and effort. But it was worth it! I hope. You tell me, just leave something in that magic little box down there. ;)**

**Yes, Sandman's Island is located in the Bermuda Triangle, which is a conversion point of magic energy. Though no one has disappeared **_**after **_**Sandy started living there.  
And yes, we fan-girls can be scary. Now imagine the source of all things fan girl. BE AFRAID! Be very afraid! :D**

**I hope I did good with Tooth's story. She had a really good background in the original books but I didn't want to just copy it.  
And in case you'd be confused about two 'Tooth'-characters, 'Tooth' will always be Toothiana. I'm not going to refer to Toothless as 'Tooth'. That would make things too complicated. ;)**


	7. Chapter 7 Shadows

**I liiive! (insert mushu-gif here)**

**Oh my, this took so much longer than I had intended. It's just that my life these past weeks has been rather... shitty. Let's just keep it at that. I really am sorry, but hopefully the chapter will make up for it a little.**

**By the way, almost 5.000 views! O_O  
I expected a thousand, maybe two, but this, this is amazing! THANK YOU EVERYBODY! You guys get a much credit for the story as me, because a story needs two things to exist. First is someone to write it, second is someone to read it. ;)  
So thank you all for keeping this story alive with me.**

**Enjoy chapter 7!**

* * *

**Shadows**

Toothless couldn't believe it! It was only yesterday that they had agreed to stop fighting over Hiccup and now Jack was sleeping next to him! That winter spirit had some nerve. Toothless was gonna roast him like a marshmallow for this. But first he had to wake them up. Toothless walked over to the curtains and pulled, just a little too hard, and the entire thing came crashing down. Great. Just great. Toothless' day couldn't have begun any worse.

Hiccup winced at the sudden burst of light. He rubbed his eyes. He felt Jack's arms around him, his back pressed against Jack's stomach. For a boy who was the embodiment of winter, he felt awfully warm. He turned around and put a hand on Jack's forehead. Thankfully, the white-haired guardian wasn't feverish. It was more like Jack's cold didn't work on him. Hiccup's hand hovered above Jack's head. He brushed his snow-white hair. It was incredibly soft. He inched a little closer and pressed the tip of his nose against Jack's. He closed his eyes, relishing in the other's closeness.  
Toothless was sitting by the window, the curtains still on top of him. He gaped at Hiccup. What was he doing?! He shook the violet curtains off and walked over to the edge of the bed.

Jack felt the world around him getting brighter but he didn't care. He felt the boy in his arms turning. He felt a hand brushing through his hair and he enjoyed the touch. He didn't get much physical contact. Mostly because his average body temperature was just below zero. But when he felt Hiccup's nose against his, Jack opened his eyes.  
When Hiccup opened his eyes, he was instantly lost in seas of blue. Jack's bright cerulean eyes in the golden morning light almost took his breath away. It was a blue shimmering light in a silver storm. Jack was awestruck with Hiccup's green orbs. Intoxicating pools of liquid grass, they shone like emeralds. They seemed to overflow with both light and life.

A scoffing sound at the end of the bed drew their attention. Toothless was glaring at Jack with narrowed eyes. His teeth shimmered in the morning light as he growled at the blue-eyed boy. "Hiccup had a nightmare! He asked me!" Jack blurted out, holding on to Hiccup a little tighter. Toothless looked really angry. Hiccup crawled to the foot of the bed and wrapped his arms around the dragon's head. "I'm sorry Toothless," he said."I asked him to stay with me after my nightmare. Please don't be mad." Toothless growled at Jack to stop him from gawking at Hiccup. Jack blushed and looked away. He didn't mean to stare, but the sight of Hiccup wearing only his boxers was too much to ignore.

Jack apologized to Toothless as well, and they got dressed. When a mini-fairy came to collect them for breakfast, she shot an angry glare at Toothless after seeing the curtains. How did she know it as me? Toothless thought. Toothiana and Baby Tooth were still out on patrol, so except for a few fairies on their break, they were alone. The arched grid that served as a window gave a marvelous view of the valley below. Hiccup took pancakes, something he hadn't had since his mother had passed away, Jack only took a cup of coffee. Hiccup asked if he could have a sip, but he winced when he tasted the bitter brew. He handed Jack his cup back with a sheepish grin. Jack chuckled and drank the brown liquid before it cooled. After they finished their breakfast some Tooth Fairies took their plates away. Jack and Hiccup stayed a little longer, enjoying the fresh morning breeze and the sunlight. Toothless rested his head on Hiccup's lap, who was scratching him behind his ears. Toothless was purring as Hiccup watched the shadows of the clouds that glided over the valley. Jack was considering what they should do, occasionally stealing glances at Hiccup.  
A smile grew on his lips. "Hic, there's someone I want you to meet."

DGDGDGDGDGDGDGDG

The trio whooshed just above the clouds, still pink in early morning light. They had been flying for over an hour, and Jack still wouldn't say where they were going. Hiccup decided to try asking him again. "Jack! Where are we going?" "You'll see," Jack grinned. "We're here." He signaled Hiccup to descend. When they broke through the clouds they saw a mid-size[d] town. Even though it had been night last time, Hiccup instantly recognized it. This was the town they called Burgess. The first sign of civilization he and Toothless had come across after waking up. And the place people had walked through them. "Jack? Why are we here?" Hiccup asked, a little uneasy. "Don't worry Hic. Just trust me." Jack smiled, easing both Hiccup and Toothless.  
They landed on a roof in the 'suburbs' as they were called. Jack was about to say something when the neighbor's front door swung open. Two children came out. The oldest was a girl about seven years old, and her brother could be no more than four. "That's Jack," Jack whispered to Hiccup, pointing at the boy. "And his sister's name is Sylvie." Hiccup looked at the children quizzically. Why was Jack showing him this?  
"Goodbye dad!" the children chimed as they walked to a big, yellow car-thing. A school bus, Jack explained. It picked children up and brought them to school where they would learn all sorts of things. Hiccup wondered if it was anything like dragon training or more like a library. That's where he had learned most things. The old books that were stored in the caves of Berk were full of wisdom. If only the Vikings had been a little more keen on reading.  
"Bye kids! Be safe!" A man appeared in the doorway, holding a little girl in his arms. She was probably about two years old. Jack's face lit up when he saw the young man. He straightened up as the bus began moving. About half the children stared at him open-mouthed. Jack just grinned and waved. Hiccup and Toothless rose to their feet as well.

"Da-gon! Da-gon! Pretty!" the little girl chanted, grabby fingers pointed at Toothless. "Guess she believes in dragons," Jack said. "That's Astrid by the way." "Astrid?" Memories of home threatened to flood Hiccup's heart. If it hadn't been for Jack's enthusiastic demeanor, he would have given in to the dark shadow looming over him. "And that," Jack said, pointing at the children's father. "Is Jamie Bennet!" Jack's smile couldn't have possibly been any wider.  
Now Hiccup understood why they were here. Jamie, or James as he was usually called these days, had been the first child to believe in Jack Frost in over 300 years. Jamie was about to go back inside when a gust of cold air nipped at his nose. He turned around, a nostalgic smile across his face. "Hello Jack," he almost whispered. He put Astrid down. "Why don't you go play outside for a bit?" He ruffled his daughter's hair and went back inside. Jack glided down on the wind.

"Jack Jack Jack!" Astrid cried happily and hugged the frost sprite. "Hey Astrid! Wow, you've gotten big!" Astrid spun around with a grin big enough to match Jack's. Her attention was drawn to two figures standing on the neighbor's roof. "Dagon?" she asked Jack. "Ah don't worry, they're with me. Well come on down guys! She doesn't bite!" Toothless landed gracefully and Hiccup jumped off his back. Astrid looked at the dragon with big eyes and hid behind Jack.  
Toothless didn't want to scare her so he tried to smile. The toothless grin looked so silly to Astrid that she started laughing. Hiccup was relieved she hadn't started crying. She cautiously walked over to Toothless and put her little hand on his head, her smile growing with every step she took. She tried to climb on his back. Jack gave her a little push. She was as giddy as a little girl could be. "Mush!" she shouted. "Mush?" she asked Toothless when he didn't move. He gave her a puzzled look. What in dragon's name did she mean by 'mush'? "I think she wants to take a ride on the big bad dragon." Jack explained. "No way! It's too dangerous!" Hiccup objected. "Oh come on Hiccup. Just a few rounds around the house. They won't even leave the yard." "I just don't think it's a good idea." Astrid looked at Hiccup with pleading puppy-eyes and he felt his heart melt. Forget being the descendant of a line of fearless warriors, no one could have resisted such a face. With a sigh he gave in. "Fine. But Toothless, be careful. Don't let her... fall off or anything ok?" Toothless growled and raised his wings a bit as a safety rail.

As Toothless was busy entertaining Astrid, Hiccup sat down on the porch swing. Jack sat next to him, balancing on the back rest. "Penny for you thoughts," Jack said. "It's nothing, I was just... thinking." "About?" "About Jamie." "What about him?" Jack asked. "Well, you say you're such good friends, so why didn't he stay outside?" Jack sighed and slid into the seat. "It hurts him to be around me. Because he can't see me anymore." "You mean he stopped believing?" "No, he still believes, don't worry. It's just that... well he's too old to see me. Or any of the Guardians for that matter," Jack explained. "What do you mean?"  
Jack sat down on the porch rail facing Hiccup. "We represent Fun, Memories, Wonder, Dreams and Hope. Those are values children need to become fine adults. In a sense, we show them how to live," Jack explained. "But when they grow up, they don't need us to guide them anymore. The lessons we taught them are nestled safely in their hearts. They have to make their own paths then. Most stop believing at that point. But some, like Jamie will keep believing all their lives. Jamie knows this, but he still misses us."

Jack leaned back, hanging upside-down on the rail. "But I'm just happy with what a great guy he grew up to be. And he's a great father too." Both watched Astrid pull Toothless' tail. The dragon lifted her up with his tail, then let her glide off his wing. "Besides, I owe most of my strength to him." Hiccup gave Jack a quizzical look. "He became a writer. Picture books and bedtime stories for children. But then his stories caught the attention of some big-time movie studio. They invited him to work with them. He agreed, and the day his first movie hit the screen, belief all across the globe skyrocketed!" Jack waved his arms enthusiastically as he sat up straight. "He made a movie about you guys?" "Yup! It was a huge success. People that had never even heard of me suddenly started believing in Jack Frost." His trademark smile was as warm as his powers were cold. "Of course belief in all the Guardians went up." Jack tapped his chin with his index finger pensively. "Hey! Maybe we can get him to do a story about you! I'm sure people would start believing in you. Children would be able to see you just like Astrid! Wouldn't that be great?" Jack exclaimed.  
Hiccup gave his blue-eyed friend a sad smile. "I don't think anyone would want to know my story. It's not exactly a happy one." He looked down to his feet. Jack walked around the bench and put his arms around Hiccup. "It doesn't have to be that story." "What story then?" Hiccup asked. A small blush crept onto his face when Jack's cheek brushed against his. "Our story." Hiccup's eyes grew wide and his blush deepened. What did Jack mean 'our story'? Seeing his surprise, Jack continued. "I mean the two -uhm three of us looking for your center. And you becoming a Guardian." Jack looked deep into Hiccup's emerald gems. "Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn't mean the story's over. You can write your own ending. You can still have a happy ending." Hiccup's heart swelled with joy mixed with fear. But for now, the happiness of Jack's words was stronger.

Hiccup glanced behind Jack and saw both Toothless and Astrid looking at him. Toothless sported a slightly annoyed look, where as Astrid watched with curiosity. She turned her head until her ear was almost on her shoulder. "Kiss?" she asked. Both boys turned as red as a pair of tomatoes. Jack suddenly became very interested in a far-away cloud, while Hiccup was frozen in shock. When Jamie opened the door he sprang to attention before he realized the man couldn't see him.  
"Astrid dear, you should come inside now. You don't want to catch a cold do you?" She thought really hard for a moment. "Yes!" she said and grabbed one of Jack's legs. "You should listen to your father Astrid," Jack said. "You know what, if you listen to your dad, I'll make a lot of snow, just for you. Whadda ya say?" "Mhhh. Ok." She gave Jack and Toothless a hug. She turned to Hiccup and motioned him to come closer. When he did, she gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek to boot. "Thanks." She hopped inside, humming some tune. "Goodbye," Jamie said before closing the door.

"So where to now?" Hiccup asked. Jack floated up. "Just wait here a second," he said. The temperature dropped as he went. The wind blew in from the North, carrying clouds heavy with snow. Jack glided back down. "That should give them a decent pack by tomorrow." He smiled. "I did promise." Hiccup chuckled. "So where to snow boy?" He asked his white-haired friend. "Well, normally I would just fly around a bit and deliver a nice cold front, get in a few snowball fights, you know," he grinned. "And I was kinda hoping you'd come with me." "Of course I want to go with you." They looked at each other in silence for a moment until Toothless started snickering. He was beginning to understand the nature of the boys' blooming relationship.  
"Great!" Jack said. "I can tell you about this world. There are so many things you have to try and see and oh you are gonna love it!" Hiccup smiled. It seemed like Jack was more excited about the trip than he was.

They flew over big cities mostly. They stopped in Moscow, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels and London. Jack left a white layer everywhere they went. He told Hiccup as much as he could remember about the places and promised him a closer look. He was so happy to show Hiccup around that he completely forgot the time.  
Night fell and a question came to Hiccup's mind. "Jack?" he asked. "Where do you live? I mean, you fly around all day, but isn't there any place you call home?" Jack gave it some thought. "Well, I used to call Burgess my home, after all, I lived there before I became Jack Frost. But after the battle with Pitch twenty years ago, I started looking for a different home. Firstly because I didn't want to endanger the children of Burgess, and second because I wanted a cool hide-out like the others." He laughed.  
"So did you find one?" Hiccup asked. Jack, who had been flying next to Toothless the entire conversation, slowed down and reached in his pocket. Before Hiccup and Toothless figured out what he was doing, a portal had already appeared before them. It happened so fast they only realized it when a cold gust of air hit them.

The clear and starry sky had been flying under just a moment ago had been replaced with a roaring blizzard. There was nothing but a white haze all around them and the howling of the wind. Just as suddenly as the blizzard had appeared, it was gone and the skies were clear again. Hiccup looked around confused until he saw Jack. "Sorry, I forgot I left the blizzard on." Jack gave Hiccup an meek smile. Toothless rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his surroundings. Where were they? He could only see ice and snow below him. Jack's smile grew to a grin and he picked up the pace. When they came to a enormous glacier, he stopped. "Welcome to Antarctica!"  
When Hiccup looked better he could see the glacier was actually a ice-castle. He mouthed a silent 'wow', and Toothless agreed. "Yeah, I know it's a little big, but Bunny and North helped design it and well, they like to think big." Jack awkwardly scratched the back of his head as they glided to the main gate. It was decorated with a huge floral frost pattern. Jack charged his staff, covering it in ice. He slid it in a small opening, turning it like a key. He withdrew the icy key and the sound of a heavy mechanism resonated through the door. The clicking of locks ceased and the doors opened.

Hiccup whistled when he saw the great hall. The ice was polished like a mirror. But the castle wasn't crystal-white, like Hiccup had expected. Everything was made from ice, but the ice was colored. There was a thick stroke of red on the floor, like a carpet, with gold on the edges. The pillars where completely transparent, but sparkled on the inside like columns of frozen stars. The walls were decorated with colorful fern-like patterns and some ice-paintings. Jack explained to Hiccup that the paintings represented his best memories since becoming a guardian. Hiccup looked up the ceiling and admired the decorations. He noticed two things. There was a large moon and there was a little girl standing in its light. She had long brown hair and the wings of an angel. Her eyes were closed and her hands folded. On her lips was a whisper of a smile. It looked as if the moon was watching over her.  
"That's Aiyana," Jack said. "My sister." "Your sister? The one you saved back when you were..." Hiccup paused for second, not sure how he should finish that sentence. "Alive?" Jack finished. "Yeah, that's her." Jack gazed at the ceiling, an almost fatherly smile on his face.

Jack showed them around the castle. A lot of the rooms were still empty as Jack hadn't figured out what to do with them yet. But a good portion of the rooms did serve a purpose. Some were used as storage for ice and snow, which Jack used for ice-sculpting. The finished sculptures were displayed in other rooms. There were sculptures in every shape and size. There were animals, humans, buildings and landscapes. It was quite an impressive collection, even though Jack said he hadn't done much sculpting yet.  
There were several rooms filled with games Jack had collected over the centuries. There were ordered by type, date of invention and alphabetically. Hiccup was surprised to see Jack could be so organized. There was even a room with a giant chessboard. The pieces were twice as big as Toothless. Hiccup was just about to ask how such massive figures could even move when Jack pointed to the queen. "There's a control panel up there. That's how you play," he explained. "How do you play chess?" Hiccup asked. "I'll teach you. But first I want to show you the rest of the castle."  
There was a large room, filled with flowers, covered in a layer of ice that was so thin, it was almost invisible. Freezing them was the only option for Jack to keep flowers in a place like this. Hiccup remembered seeing similar flowers in the castle halls.  
There were a few guest rooms, just in case. Jack never really expected anyone to visit him with the cold and all, let alone spend the night. But it was better to be prepared. Hiccup's hand glided over the soft fabric on the bed. It was as soft a thin layer of snow, and just as white. The bed was so soft and plush, he almost fell asleep when he sat down. Toothless had to pull him out. Jack laughed. "You can have this room if you want," he said, earning him a smile from Hiccup.

There was a kitchen of sorts, though of course there was no way to actually heat anything. It didn't really matter either. Jack was a vegetarian, mostly because he had no way to prepare meat. Sometimes he would make some sushi, but that was it. He liked it that way. Even if he would find a way to eat meat, he doubted he would actually do it.  
Below the castle was an entire system of caverns. Amidst the countless turns and bends, one could easily get lost. But the tunnels were guided by the wind, and the wind wouldn't let anyone good get lost. Jack asked the wind to bring them to a place he called the view port. The wind began to blow, and they almost immediately began to glide over the cavern's smooth surface. They ended up in front of another door.

At first they couldn't see anything but red walls. Jack knocked on the wall and suddenly the red disappeared. It swarmed together and swam away. The red wall had actually been a swarm of krill. Now they could see the ocean. Hiccup and even Toothless pressed their faces against the transparent ice. There were hundreds of fish in different colors, and even a few penguins. The penguins and most of the fish scurried away however when a leopard seal entered the scene. Apparently it wasn't hungry, as it made no attempt to chase the fish. Instead, it was more curious about the strange creatures inside the ice. It swam up against the icy wall and looked at the creatures.  
After a few moments however, it turned its head as if it had heard something and swam away. Not a moment later, Jack, Hiccup and Toothless could hear it too. The low rumbling sound resonated even through the ice, harmonious and beautiful, but loud. A lone humpback whale appeared on stage, herding a school of fish into a bubble net. Hiccup watched in awe as he saw the fish being forced up by the bubbles. He watched the whale swim up and swallow a big part of the school with one massive gulp.  
The dance was an amazing sight, especially from this angle. He had only seen it from the surface before, and even then it was a rare sight. Back in Berk there weren't that many whales. Mostly because of sea dragons eating them, but also because Vikings occasionally hunted them.

After a little while they decided to go back. "Jack? I was wondering, how come it's so light in here?" Jack grinned. "Well, this time of year, we get a little more sunshine, but you're right, the sun's light can't reach all the way through the ice. So I use a sun-crystal," he explained. "A sun-crystal?" "Yeah, I got it as present from Bunny when the castle was done. It's the same kind of crystal he uses in the Warren, but this one wasn't much use to him. Usually sun-crystals give off both light and warmth, but some sacrifice warmth for the sake of producing more light. Which makes them perfect for me." Hiccup nodded when he noticed a room that Jack hadn't shown him yet. The doors were huge, about half the size of the entrance, and had a frosted sun-design on it. "What's in there?" he asked. Jack looked at the door. "Oh there? That's the..." Jack face lit up when he got an idea. "That's just where I keep the sun-crystal." "Can I see it?" Hiccup asked. "Sure Hic. But not yet. Why don't you go to your room for a moment? I'll send you some food up and you can rest a bit," Jack said.  
"And later, I'll show you the crystal chamber ok?" "Sure Jack. Wait. What do you mean, send up? I thought nobody else lived here." Jack grinned and tapped the floor twice with his staff. A young woman in a maid suit rose from the ice. "Hic, meet Yuki." The woman made a small, polite bow. Hiccup shook himself out of his stupor and greeted her. He was simply amazed by the amount of detail. If she hadn't been a transparent icy blue, he would have easily mistaken her for a normal human.

"Pretty cool huh?" Jack grinned. "Yuki, please prepare dinner for our guests. It's been a long day and I'm sure they would like to rest. You can bring it to their room." The woman named Yuki looked at Jack silently. "No, I'm fine. I'm not hungry. Besides, I've got work to do," Jack said and entered the crystal chamber. "Oh and Hiccup, I'll send Yuki to pick you up when I'm done ok? Just relax and get some rest until then.  
Jack closed the door behind him and Yuki went to the kitchen. "Wait! Uhm, Yuki?" The girl stopped and looked at the auburn-haired boy and his dragon companion. "Uhm, could you... Could you show me where our room is again?" Hiccup was a little embarrassed about asking, but the castle was a maze. It would take some time before he knew his way here.  
Yuki made another bow and gestured them to follow her. Once they reached the room, she bowed again and left.

Hiccup let himself fall into the bed face-first and let the softness envelop him. At least until he heard the unmistakable sound of a dragon breathing fire. "Toothless! What are you doing?!" he shouted. Toothless was sitting at the other end of the room, his wings spread, hiding something. He only meant to warm the ground up a bit and take a nap. He'd forgotten the floor was made of ice. "Toothless?" Hiccup said irritated and walked up to his dragon.  
"Come on Toothless, let me see it." Toothless tried to look anywhere but at Hiccup. He hated it when Hiccup gave him that look. "Toothleeeess." Toothless begrudgingly obliged and put his wings down. Of the gaping hole he had created, only a small dent in the ice remained. Then it frosted over completely. "Well aren't you the lucky dragon?" Hiccup said. Toothless gave him a meek smile and decided to simply take his nap next to Hiccup's bed. Hiccup decided to join him and in the plush cloud he was soon asleep.

Yuki woke him up a little later. Their dinner was ready. A selection of fresh fish on a bed of nutritious seaweed, topped with shrimp for Toothless, and a considerably smaller portion for Hiccup. Yuki bowed and left. Hiccup was slightly weary of the fish being raw, but when he tasted it, he had to control himself not to gobble it down. Toothless had less restraint with such scrumptious food and he was now begging Hiccup for his portion. Not that Hiccup was about to give in. Toothless had to settle for licking his own plate six more times, and Hiccup's after that.  
When Hiccup finished his dinner, he washed himself in the adjoining bathroom. The water was cold, obviously, but not freezing. Hiccup had no doubt that whatever kept the water liquid under these conditions involved complicated magic. It didn't bother him that the water was still cold though. The only way for a Viking to take a bath was to go look for the nearest stream. And in Berk, you were lucky if the stream wasn't frozen over. Which of course resulted in a lack of personal hygiene for most.

When he was done, Yuki was waiting for him. She bowed, again, and gestured for Hiccup to follow her. He looked to Toothless, who had discovered the softness of the bed. He wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Yuki led Hiccup to the crystal chamber. She turned around and after making yet another polite bow, turned into an ice sculpture. "Y-Yuki?" Her head moved and she looked at him questioningly. "Just checking," he responded, to which she simply turned back to ice once again. Hiccup guessed this is how she rested when her services weren't required.  
He knocked on the large door. He heard a semi-crash and someone cussing under his breath. "Just one moment," Jack said from the other side. There were a few more noises coming from the other side before Jack came out. "Hey Hic! I got a surprise for you!" he grinned. Hiccup smiled back at him. "What is it?" Jack stepped behind Hiccup and covered Hiccup's eyes. He didn't say word as he guided Hiccup inside.

"I hope you like it," Jack whispered into Hiccup's ear. He removed his hands. Hiccup was completely stunned by what he saw. He was standing in the center of a round room. The ceiling was made a deep navy blue, with little lights embedded, like hundreds of stars in every color. In the center, right above Hiccup, a pale silvery blue light shone behind the image of the moon. That must be where the sun crystal was. The floor looked like it was covered in a thin layer of snow crystals that sparkled like a million diamonds, but was still smooth as marble.  
The walls looked like clouds in the night sky, completing the illusion of infinity. If he hadn't known any better, he would have thought himself to be standing on a cloud in the night sky. It was beautiful beyond belief.  
He spun around a few times, trying to take in the sight. When he finally found his voice again, he turned to Jack. "This is amazing! It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! You made this?" "Well, I don't like to brag, but yeah, I made this," Jack answered. "You really are amazing," Hiccup said. "This is the best surprise ever." "I haven't even shown you all of the surprise yet." "There's more? Jack, you didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me," Hiccup said. "I know, but I wanted to," Jack answered as he pulled a small rectangular object from his pocket.

"It's called an i-pod," Jack explained to Hiccup. "You can store and listen to music with it. Normally it wouldn't last in these temperatures, but North made it for me as a Christmas present." He walked over to some sort of panel by the wall, the only object in the room, and placed the i-pod in it. He put his staff in a hole in the floor next to the panel.  
Music began to play and the walls and ceiling glowed to the beat. It was as if they were standing inside the southern lights, only with infinitely more colors. It was like the birth of the world, no the universe itself. But despite all the wonder around him, Hiccup could only look at Jack.  
"I channel the crystal's light through ice, which I can use to break it down into different colors," Jack explained. He reached his hand out Hiccup. "Would you like to dance?"

Hiccup started blushing. "I- I don't really know how to dance," he said. "Don't worry." Jack put his hand against Hiccup's neck, caressing Hiccup's cheek with his thumb. "I'll lead."  
Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat and let Jack pull him close. As the night passed, Jack showed him various dance moves and various musical styles. Hiccup found them odd, yet intriguing. Jack asked him if he was getting tired, but Hiccup said he wasn't. He didn't want to stop. The yawn that escaped him however took away his credibility. Jack proposed one more dance, and then they would go to bed. Besides, they could dance whenever Hiccup wanted.  
Jack fiddled a bit with his i-pod, trying to find the right song. Once he found it, he pressed play and pulled Hiccup close. The music started. It was a slow and beautiful melody, and if Hiccup hadn't been lost in his dance with Jack, he would have heard it was a love-song.

The song ended, but Jack wouldn't let Hiccup go just yet. He looked deep into Hiccup's bright green eyes and ran his fingers through his soft auburn hair. Hiccup's hands still rested on Jack's hips. In the pale light surrounding them, Jack's hair looked like quicksilver. Even his eyes shined like silver. They were being pulled closer to each other by a force they couldn't resist. Not that either of them intended to. Their faces were now very close, their noses almost touching, their eyes half closed.  
"I love you," Jack whispered just before he pressed his lips against Hiccup's. Hiccup's eyes flew open, but closed again as an feeling like static electricity coursed throughout his entire body. His heart was pounding in his chest and a previously unknown sensation took over. He wrapped his arms around Jack's neck, who deepened the kiss. In that one moment, nothing else existed. Just the two of them and the feelings that coursed through both their hearts.

Not until their lungs were screaming for air did they let go. Their breath formed small clouds in the cool air. Both were in a daze, still only seeing each other. "I love you," Jack whispered into Hiccup's ear as he held him tight.  
And just like that, those words, so lovingly spoken, shattered the happiness in Hiccup's heart. The euphoria died out like a flame without air, his heart instead filling with a sickening fear. Tears formed in his eyes and his body began to shake. He tried to stop it, but he couldn't. He didn't want to be afraid. He wanted to be with Jack. He wanted to say he loved him too. But something inside him stopped him. "Hiccup? What's wrong?" Jack asked when he felt the auburn-haired viking shaking in his arms. Hiccup looked down. He didn't want Jack to see him like this. Especially not now. He would probably hate him for it. Just like everybody else always hated him. "Hiccup whats wrong?!" Jack asked, more forcefully now, trying to look the other in his eyes.  
In a last attempt to prevent Jack from seeing him, he pushed the blue-eyed guardian away and ran. Jack was too confused to follow. He slumped to ground, tears welling in his eyes. His heart began to break. I shouldn't have kissed him. I shouldn't have. He must hate me now, he thought.

Tears flowed without restraint now as Hiccup ran further and further away. Before he realized it, he was lost in one of the unoccupied parts of the castle. He tried a random door, but found nothing there but large old cupboard that looked like it could fall apart at any moment. He was about to leave when he heard the cupboard's door creak. He went to take a closer look and felt a breeze coming from inside. Hiccup looked back for a moment, doubting what to do. But he couldn't face Jack. Not after running out on him like that. He stepped into the darkness. It went on for quite some time, but he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.  
Suddenly he reached a round, dark metal door. It opened for him. He didn't like what he saw on the other side. It was a dark place, slightly at an angle, with big cages dangling from the ceiling. It had an eerie feel to it. Hiccup turned around, but the door was gone.

"Well well. What an unexpected surprise," a voice spoke from the shadows. Hiccup turned around, but saw no one. "If I'd known you'd drop by, I would have cleaned this mess," the voice sounded from behind Hiccup, followed by a laugh. Hiccup turned around and his gaze met golden yellow eyes, resembling an eclipse. "Hello Hiccup," Pitch said. "I- I know you! You're Pitch Black, the Boogeyman," Hiccup responded. "So you've heard of me. I'm not surprised." "I'm not afraid of you," Hiccup said, trying to look for a way out. "No, you aren't. Not of me at least. But then again, you don't know what you are afraid of now do you?" Pitch's eyes scanned the young boy meticulously. "I could help you. But if you really wish to leave," With a wave of his hand, a door appeared besides Hiccup, "there's the door."  
"You're letting me go? Just like that?" Hiccup asked. "I have no intention of keeping you here against your will. I only wanted to help you," Pitch answered. "Help me? Why? And how could you possibly help me?" "I know what people fear. It's the one thing I always know." The Boogeyman circled Hiccup. "Even if they don't know it themselves. Even if it has been repressed. And I can show you. If you allow me, I can show you not just what you fear, but also the reason you fear it. I can show you the core of your fears. And once you know fear, you can use it. You can become stronger. Strong enough to not lose anyone."  
Hiccup's eyes grew at those words. "You- you can do that?" "Of course. If," Pitch said."and only if, you allow me. I cannot force this on you. You have to choose it yourself." Hiccup considered Pitch's offer. "But," Pitch interrupted Hiccup's thoughts. " Something like that, comes at a price." Hiccup thought about it for a moment. "What do you want?" A thin, victorious smile spread across Pitch's face. The nightmare King put his arm on Hiccup's shoulder, leading him further into the shadows of the Pit. "Why don't we talk about dragons?"

* * *

**OMG, I am so evil! First I ruin their kiss, and then I leave you guys with a cliffhanger. D:  
I actually feel a little bad about it. I don't like all that angst, but it is necessary for the story. I hope you can forgive me for it.  
**

**Jack's sister never got a name, so I named her Aiyana, which means ever-blooming. It thought it was a fitting name, even though I have no idea why. :p**

**What are Pitch's plans for Hiccup? What does he want to know about dragons? What is the repressed fear in Hiccup's subconscious? Aaah! So many questions!  
**

**Critiques welcomed, they help me to keep this story going.**


	8. Chapter 8 Changed

**I'm so sorry! More apologies after the chapter, I've kept you waiting long enough.  
**

* * *

**Changed**

Jack woke up on the cold ground. Normally, it never bothered him, but today it felt different. He felt empty, defeated. He rubbed his eyes and the dried-up tears from his face. He would go to Hiccup and apologize. He shouldn't have kissed him, but it was stronger then himself. He walked to Hiccup's room and was just about to knock, when the door flew open and Toothless came rushing out. If Jack barely managed to jump aside, or the dragon would have run him over. Immortal or not, the idea wasn't very appealing.  
"Wow, slow down boy. Where's the fire?" Only now Toothless noticed Jack. He was completely frantic, trying to explain to Jack with cries and growls. Jack didn't understand and Toothless dragged him to the room. Jack looked around but nothing seemed out of place. Everything was still in place. That's when he realized the bed hadn't been slept on. Hiccup had never returned to his room.

Jack immediately called Yuki. "Don't worry Toothless. Hiccup is probably just lost. We'll find him." Toothless wasn't so sure. They had a connection, and just now, he had felt something terrible. Enough to make a cold-blooded dragon brake out in cold sweat. But Toothless saw Jack was quite shaken too. Had he felt something was wrong as well? Toothless nudged his nose against Jack's back to comfort him. "Thanks buddy." Jack smiled and petted the dragon's head. "I hope we find him fast. I have to apologize to him."  
Toothless wondered what Jack meant with that when Yuki rose from the ground. He didn't think he would ever get used to that. "Yuki, there you are. Can you take us to Hiccup? He seems to be lost." Yuki closed her eyes, sensing the castle grounds. When she opened them, she simply shook her head. "What do you mean no?! If he's not in the castle anymore then where did he go?" Jack asked. Yuki beckoned the duo to follow her.

As they followed the snow-maid through the corridors Jack was getting very worried. The castle had been locked. How could he have left? Something just wasn't right.  
Yuki went into a room. Besides an old closet Jack didn't recognize, it was empty. She pointed at it and disappeared again. Jack opened the doors, but the cupboard was completely empty. He didn't understand. This was where Hiccup had gone, but he wasn't here, nor anywhere else in the castle. Then he felt something scrape underneath his bare feet. When he saw the trail of black sand, a shiver went down his spine. This couldn't be happening.  
Toothless worry for his best friend grew when he saw Jack's face being filled with horror. With an almost feral cry Jack shattered the cupboard with one icy blast. It was so strong the icy walls cracked. Toothless took a step back. Jack took a snow globe from his pocket and smashed it on the ground.

In North's Workshop a cold gust of air suddenly blew as a portal opened. The sudden drop in temperature made even the Yeti's shiver and the Elves who came too close to the portal found their little bells frozen solid. Jack stepped through, Toothless right behind him. Wherever Jack's feet touched the ground, it froze over. Jack shot up to the globe room like lightning. "Ah Jack. Back so soon? Where is..." But Jack wasn't listening to the jolly man. He walked right up to the control panel and pulled a switch, turned it and pushed it back down. The Globe lit up and the Northern Lights spread across the world. Only this time, they were an icy white, fueled by the magic energy that practically flowed from Jack.  
"Jack! What are you doing? That is for emergencies only!" Jack was clutching the switch so hard it hurt. Toothless finally reached the top of the stairs, ignoring the Yeti's complaining behind him. North put his hand on Jack's shoulder and turned him around. His eyes were filled with concern. "Jack, what happened?"

"North! What's going on? Why are – Jack!" Bunny said as he entered. Tooth and Sandy flew in simultaneously. "What's going on?" Toothiana asked. "Jack, what's wrong?" Motherly concern in every word. "What's happened North?" Bunny asked. "I- I don't know. One moment I'm checking the naughty list, the next my ink suddenly freezes. Then Jack flies past me and turns on the lights."  
"It's Pitch." Jack said, his voice weak. "He took Hiccup. We have to save him!" "That, won't be necessary." The Guardians and Toothless looked to the dark corner from where the voice had come. And sure enough, Pitch stepped from the shadows. He barely dodged both a shot of ice and the spikes that sprouted from where it hit. He faded into a shadow, avoiding Bunny's boomerang and Toothiana. He reappeared behind them but had to jump away from an egg-bomb, barely managing to duck from a pair of sand whips in the process. Then his feet were swiped away underneath him by a black tail and North crossed his swords over Pitch's throat, pinning him down.  
"My, what a reception!" Pitch laughed. "You sure know how entertain a guest." "You're not welcome here mate." Bunny responded. "Oh. Well then perhaps I should leave." Pitch smirked and began to sink into the ground. "No!" Jack shouted and pointed his charged-up staff at the Boogeyman. "You're not going anywhere until you give me Hiccup back!"

"He can't give back what isn't his." A voice came from behind them. Jack turned around and saw Hiccup standing there, hidden in the shadows. Jack dropped his staff and ran to him, but a boomerang crossed his path. "Bunny?! What are you-" "Stay back! That ain't Hiccup." The figure in the shadows smirked. "You've got a good nose there fluffy." Hiccup said and stepped forward into the light. Toothiana raised her hands to covered her mouth, Bunny's ears fell flat against his head and North dropped his swords. Sandy's eyes grew twice in size, Toothless hissed and Jack stumbled backward. "No," he whispered.  
It was Hiccup, but different. His eyes had gone from green as grass to a toxic purple. His hair was now jet-black and brushed back, like he had flown straight into a ball of fire. His shirt was now a deep, dark green, like rotting leaves, with black swirling patterns that snaked up from his wrists. He had swapped his fur vest for a black waistcoat. His old pants and fur boots had been replaced with a pair of dark jeans and black sneakers.

DGDGDGDGDGDGDGDG

Earlier that night, Pitch lead Hiccup through the Pit. A piece of rock gave way underneath Hiccup and Pitch caught his arm. "Stay close to me. This place can be somewhat... unstable," Pitch said. Hiccup nodded and stayed behind Pitch. Pitch led him to the deepest part of the Pit, a gaping hole in the ground. Suspended above the abyss was an small platform of black steel, polished like a mirror. When the Boogeyman approached the edge, the iron shifted into a bridge. Once they had crossed it, it retracted again.  
"This is the source of my powers." Pitch pointed to the middle of the room. Hiccup tried to see it but couldn't. The fear was so compressed that it created a dark veil to hide it from sight. Probably for the best too. Pitch continued. "A most powerful entity. Yet, it is restrained by an unknown force, only allowing it to exist in this form. And for that I am quite grateful. It's evil is unparalleled in this world. Should it ever be unleashed, the world would fall to chaos and fear."

Pitch's finger traced the surface of the darkness. When he pulled it back, a tar-like substance stuck to it. "A long time ago, I was much like you Hiccup. Unloved, unappreciated, an outcast. I was weak. But thanks to this orb, I became one with the fear and turned it into strength. I finally understood _what_ I was afraid of. And by accepting it, I gained it's power. I became one with my fears and gained power accordingly." Pitch paused a moment and looked into Hiccup's eyes. Seeing he had the boy's full attention, he continued.  
"I can do the same for you. But I must warn you. This, is a one-way trip. Once you accept the darkness in your own heart, you can never deny its existence. Also, you will have to face your most painful memories. If you fail, the orb's power will destroy you. But if you succeed, you will have incredible strength. Nothing would stand in you way. Nothing could be taken from you. Or, anyone for that matter. Give it some thought"

Hiccup sat down on the cold, dark surface and thought hard. If he went through with this, he would never be the same. But he would be strong. He would be strong enough to protect the ones he loves. Strong enough to keep up with them. He could stay with them forever. Hiccup stood up and saw Pitch was already on the other side of the abyss. "I'll do it!" Hiccup shouted to him. Pitch motioned Hiccup to the orb.  
Hiccup turned to the sphere and cautiously stuck his hand in. It was thick and sticky and cold. A shiver went down his spine. He almost tried to pull his arm back. 'No,' he thought. He had come this far. There was no going back. He didn't want to loose anyone again.  
Hiccup's resolve triggered the core, which seemed to explode. Like thick serpentine it shot in all directions and wrapped itself around Hiccup. The feeling of pure terror crawling on his skin, seeping into his very being was a horrible, mind shattering experience. But before Hiccup could even scream, the gooey darkness had completely covered him, throwing him into the tumbling depths of his subconscious. When he felt ground underneath his feet at last, he slowly opened his eyes. It was unexpectedly bright. Memories floated through the air as big images. When he touched one, it started playing like movie, and when it finished, it broke apart and changed its image.

"Having fun yet?" Hiccup turned around, startled by a familiar voice behind him. But there was only a shadow behind him. "If you're done wasting our time, I'll show you what you came here for," it said. "And what is that?" Hiccup asked. "The memory that you repressed. The reason why the people you love will always abandon you." The shadow swiped its hand through the air and the images all merged into one. But instead of an image of his past, it was empty and white. "Tsss. All this just because you couldn't handle the truth." The hazy figure placed his hand on the canvas-like surface and red lightning ruptured the cover. The pieces crumbled like dying leaves, disappearing into thin air as they fell. Hiccup's eyes grew wide when the woman behind it was revealed. His mouth became dry and his hands began shaking as he reached out to her. "Mom."

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"Isn't he just marvelous?" Pitch broke the silence. He walked behind Hiccup and placed his hands on his shoulders. Their grins were identically malicious. "What did you do to him!" Jack shouted. "I merely presented him with an opportunity." "Turn him back!" Jack shouted and slashed at Pitch. But to his surprise, Hiccup caught his staff, black scales covering his hand.  
"Why would I want to be weak again?" he said calmly. Jack stared at him disbelieving.  
"W-weak? You're not weak Hiccup." "No, not anymore. But I was before. Too weak to save my village, too weak to save her. I was only a burden. And because of that, I was hated." "That's not true! I love you!" Jack blurted out. "I- I love you. The real you." Jack felt tears rising in the corners of his eyes. "This, is the real me." Hiccup said and grew black scales over his arm. "And if you had any idea of what I've done, you would never have loved me! Just like him." Hiccup added that last part with pain in his heart. "But not anymore! Jack, I'm strong now. Now we can be together."

Hiccup reached out to Jack. Jack stared at Hiccup's open hand. A surge of pain and anger shot through his heart like a bolt of lightning. "NO! NO! NO!" he shouted. "This is all wrong. Hiccup, this isn't you! I want the real you back!" Hiccup clenched his hands into fists and started trembling all over. "Why?" he asked. "Am I still not good enough!? I'll prove it! I'll prove to you how strong I am!" Fear and frustration began to seep from him like a purple flame. Black scales sprouted, covering his arms and torso, a few snaking up to his neck and even onto his left cheek. His hands were also covered in black scales, turning them into razor sharp claws. "I'll do what even Pitch couldn't do!" Hiccup shouted, his voice raw and feral. "I'll defeat the Guardians!"  
Blinded by the dark shadow infecting his heart, Hiccup lunged himself at Bunnymund, who, in defense, drew his trusty boomerang. He never had to use it, because Sandy caught Hiccup mid-air with a shot from a large golden bazooka. The sand wrapped around him and stuck him against the wall. Toothiana and Toothless wanted to go after Pitch, but he had already disappeared into the shadows.

Suddenly the sand restraining Hiccup turned black and released him, no longer under Sandy's control. Spikes had grown on Hiccup's right arm, fear leaking from the tips like poison. They scorched the ground where they fell. It had infected the sand, turning the dream into a nightmare. It swirled and began taking form. Much to the Guardian's surprise, it didn't take the shape of a horse, but that of a dragon. It was a skrill, half as big as Toothless.  
"Magnificent isn't it?" Pitch's voice echoed from the safety of the shadows. "It took me nearly half a century just to find out how to hijack your sand," he said to Sandy. "And he could wield fear from the moment he was turned. Isn't he wonderful?" Pitch smirked.  
"Just wait till I get my paws on you, you bloody dingo!" Bunnymund snarled. "Get me? You have to find me first." And with that he was gone, his mad laugh echoing through the halls.

The skrill shot a blast of white fire at North, who deflected it with his swords. Toothiana took one of North's spare blades and charged at the beast. But when the metal touched the shadow-dragon's skin, the Tooth Fairy was send flying by an electric charge. "Tooth!" Jack exclaimed. He shot ice at Hiccup, hoping to restrain him. But another shot of white fire destroyed it. The skrill didn't get a change to launch another attack as it turned to glass and crumbled. Toothless stood in front of Hiccup and growled. "Toothless! Enough." Toothless growled again and swung his claws at Hiccup. This impostor was not his friend. Not only did he try to take Hiccup's place, he also used his body. He could feel it. He wanted the real Hiccup back. But that would be impossible until they captured this fake. So he fought.  
"If you're not with me," Hiccup said to his oldest friend. "Then you are against me!" Hiccup slammed Toothless, who stumbled back. Hiccup tried to hit him again, but a wall of ice appeared between the two. Jack tried to seal Hiccup off from the rest of them. He knew it wouldn't hold him for long, but it was the best he could do right now. But just before it closed completely, Bunny threw something inside. Hiccup looked at the oval object by his feet. It was about as big as an goose's egg. Hiccup braced himself as white light blinded him.

A whole section of the wall was gone. The rest of the room had been spared tanks to Jack's ice. The latter looked at Bunnymund in horror. "I'm sorry mate. I had no choice." Jack flew out the hole. Tumbling in free fall, Hiccup saw the ground getting closer. When he looked up he saw Jack flying at him, trying to reach him in time.  
He mentally cursed himself. All this power and he still needed saving? Toothiana was right behind Jack, a few feathers still out of place from the shock earlier. Sandy carried the rest of the group on his sand, including Toothless. Jack dove toward Hiccup as fast as he could, but the distance was too great. With a thunderous bang, Hiccup crashed into the ice and snow. Grunting, Hiccup crawled out of the hole he had just made and slumped to the ground. He clutched his shoulder in agony. Jack landed and ran up to him. He wanted to put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder, but he just swatted it away, making his arm hurt even more.  
"Hiccup," Jack whispered. "Let me help you Hiccup." "I don't want your help! I can take care of myself. I am strong!" "No, you are not," North interrupted. "And you can never be without your center." "He's right," Tooth added. "We're nothing without our centers." "Please Hiccup. I don't want to see you suffer like this." Jack said. This time, Hiccup let him put his hand on his shoulder.

"This isn't you. Please, let us help you. We can fix you." Hiccup just grinned sinisterly. "What's to fix?" Hiccup grinned. The snow underneath them suddenly erupted, sending everyone flying. Tooth, Jack and Sandy stabilized themselves mid-air, Bunny used his agility and Toothless dug his claws in the ice. North made a backward roll before regaining his posture. Hiccup seemed to be floating above the ground, but the settling snow barely showed the silhouette of a dragon.  
"Stealth Dragon," Hiccup said when he saw their surprised faces. "They can changes shape and color to become invisible." Hiccup looked down upon the five with a smug grin. "I'll be back. And when I do, I will be stronger." The stealth dragon raised his spikes, hiding Hiccup from sight as well. They heard the whoosh of its wings as it took off. Then it was gone completely.  
Jack turned around, looking in every direction. But Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. Jack floated down. Completely broken, his legs failed to support him. Toothless sat down next to Jack, understanding his pain. He too felt so empty, so powerless. Jack put his arms around the dragon's neck, looking for some comfort. Toothless crawled under him and carried him on his back. Jack didn't even care anymore.

Once they were back inside the castle, North started giving out orders to the Yetis. His finest reindeer were to be on standby, the Globe room needed fixing and security had to be tightened. Everyone would have to pull double shifts. When they weren't busy making toys, they would stand guard. Every two hours, they would changes shifts.  
Toothiana passed on similar orders to her mini-fairies. As of now, Punjam Hy Loo was on full alert. Guards were posted on every tower and every balcony. No fairies were to go out on their own. Groups of at least three would be send out to collect the teeth and the vaults were locked. Everyone was given a miniature sword and a small bag of Sandy's sleep-sand in case of an emergency.  
Bunnymund activated the Warren's self-defense. The plants would contain any creature that would get past the Sentinels. Any Nightmares, dragon or regular, would be strangled and crushed. He spread special pollen around the world. Everywhere they managed to take root a flower grew that would sense any Nightmare nearby.  
Sandy's sand shined brighter then ever that night, straining himself to fill his dreams with extra hope, joy and wonder. He feared the children of the world would need it soon. Fortunately all their powers had increased greatly due to all the believe in them.

Toothless was lying in front of the fireplace, Jack Frost curled up in a fetal position between his paws. "Here," North said to Jack, handing him a cup. "I thought you could use some warm cocoa." Jack just stared blankly into the fire, unaware North was even in the room. "Right." North looked around, unsure what to say. "I'll just leave this here then." He put the cocoa down on the floor next to Jack. Toothless gave the otherwise jolly man a concerned look. Not just for Hiccup, but for Jack too. Nicolas St. North sighed deeply. "We'll fix this. Somehow. I promise," he said and closed the door behind him. Toothless was a little reassured, but was still worried about Jack. He started licking the boy. It seemed to help as Toothless noticed Jack was getting a little colder again.  
"So how is he mate?" Bunny jumped out of his seat when North entered the room, worry written on his face. North looked at his fellow Guardians. Toothiana was giving her full attention, which didn't happen often. Sandy too was sitting on the edge of his seat. "Jack will be fine. He just needs some time." "A-are you sure?" "Bunny, relax," Toothiana said. "If North says Jack will be alright, then I believe him." Sandy nodded affirmatively. "I-I know. I'm just..." "We're all worried Bunny," North said "But right now, we need to keep our heads together and find out what Pitch did to Hiccup and how we can get him back. Jack will join us when he is ready. Right now, he needs rest." "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Sorry North," Bunny said. "No problem my friend. I understand how you feel. We all do." "It's so unfair. To tear them apart like that." "I know Tooth. They really like each other. More then they realize," North answered.  
"It was even in their teeth. Oh North, we have to get him back." "Do not worry Tooth. We will set this right." "But how?" Bunny asked. "I do not know. But MiM will."

Meanwhile, in the other room, Toothless was still licking Jack like an oversize cat. Normally neither one of them would have allowed this, but under the circumstances, they both found it to be somewhat therapeutic. Jack had somewhat recovered from his stupor and was now sitting with his legs crossed and an empty cup in his hands.  
He was still staring into the fire, trying to think of way to help Hiccup become himself again. Part of him wanted to blame himself for what had happened to Hiccup, but that wouldn't help anyone. He needed to find a way to talk to him. But even if he did, he didn't have a clue what to say. Nothing he said before got through to him. In frustration he threw the mug into the fireplace. A few pieces came tumbling back from the inferno.

As Jack was staring at the pieces, he suddenly noticed a light gliding over the carpet. And not just any light! He jumped up, grabbed his staff and flew out the window. He flew as high as he could, far above the clouds, far higher than he had ever gone before. He stopped when he could barely breathe. He took a deep breath and shouted up to the moon. "MiM! You know what happened right? You must have seen it too," Jack said. "Please, can you help me? Can you help Hiccup? I know that if I could just get through to him -" Jack was interrupted when MiM's message reached him on the lunar light. He looked to where the beam of light hit. It had been good of him to come this high up, because he couldn't have seen it otherwise. "Thank you." Jack said and raced back down when the Man in the Moon remained silent.  
"Guys!" Jack shouted as he came rushing through the open skylight. "Jack!" Bunny jumped up and hugged the frost sprite. "Euhm... Yeah." Bunny straightened himself and gave Jack a pat on the shoulder. "It's good to see you again Frostbite." "It's good to see you too Cottontail," the white-haired boy smiled. "How are you feeling Jack?" Toothiana asked. "A little shocked, to be honest. But I can't just sit around when Hiccup needs my help." "Good to have you back Jack," North said. Sandy flashed a moon and a map above his head. "Yeah, I saw it too. And I saw the spot. If we leave now, we-" "If we leave now, we will be poorly prepared, tired, and quite possibly not up for whatever we will find there." "Bunny is right. We leave tomorrow," North joined in. "For now, you'd better get some rest. Who know what we'll have to face tomorrow." "Alright guys. I'll get some sleep. But tomorrow, I'm going." "We, will be going. You're not alone Jack. And neither is Hiccup," Tooth responded. "Thanks you guys."

Meanwhile, in the Pit, Hiccup looked at his bandaged shoulder. "You were lucky. Foolish too." Pitch said, putting the bandages back in the first-aid kit. Even Immortals like Pitch and the Guardians occasionally had use for one, as Hiccup had demonstrated today. "I'm still too weak. You promised I would be strong!" Hiccup snarled at the Nightmare King. For a split second, Pitch was taken aback by the boy's behavior. He was definitely not used to being treated like that, nor did he have any intention to. "Your failure today was inevitable. Not because you were lacking in strength, but because power is only as good as the way you use it. If you had thought of a plan before running off to your boyfriend, you wouldn't be sitting here like this," Pitch retorted. "Or do I have to remind you that I am the Boogeyman? I did not gain the title of 'Nightmare King' just by dressing in black."  
Pitch looked calm and never raised his voice. Yet the air around him shook with power, making Hiccup quiver. He tried to stare right back at the tall man, but soon bowed his head in surrender. "I'm sorry Pitch. I was reckless. I got carried away." "You're forgiven. But next time, you should listen to what I have to say. For your own good," Pitch said, his anger fading with Hiccup's rebellion. "Yes Pitch." "Good. Now go and get some rest." Hiccup nodded and left.  
As Pitch watched him leave the room, he wondered if this is what raising a teenager is like. Hiccup came to his room, but didn't enter. The tunnel next to his room shifted, as the Pit does from time to time. He recognized the new tunnel, it led to the center of the Pit, and the core that resided there. Struck with curiosity, Hiccup went to see the orb again. Somehow, it felt more alive than it had last time. No longer afraid, he put his hand in it. It almost felt like it was welcoming him back. There were no words spoken, nor images shown to him. Simply a raw thought, an idea, was planted into Hiccup's head by the Darkness.  
A devilish grin spread across his face. It was a great plan. And hadn't Pitch told him to use plans? He reached into the orb again, letting the darkness in. And as the thoughts slowly began to flood his mind, he let out a bloodcurdling laugh.

* * *

**Phew, finally got to making this chapter. I know it's been way too long and I'm terribly sorry. It's just that I've had so much going on in my life these past two months. And not much good at that. But I know that's no excuse for making you wait so long. I know what it's like having to wait ages for an update. I'm terribly sorry. *Gets on his knees and bows* Gomenasai!  
But I hope you still enjoyed the chapter and I just want to thank you all for still being here. And I want you all to know that, even though it may take some time to update, I WILL finish this story.**

**And yes, Hiccup's hair looks like it did in HttyD after Toothless shot a fireball dead ahead and flew into it with Hiccup on his back. I really like that style for him.**  
**I should also explain what Toothiana meant when she said 'It was even in their teeth'. Being the Tooth Fairy, she can read people's teeth, kind off like reading someones hand. Of course she wont see the future or anything, just personality and character. Because of that she can also see if two people go well together. Either as lovers or just as friends. Remember when she looked in Hiccup's mouth and saw something 'interesting'?**

**And to all my followers and everyone that has left me a review, or even just reads this story, so many thanks! I read and cherish every review and I love all you guys.**

**See you all next chapter, where we'll see some old friends again.**


	9. Apologies

Hello my dears!

I am so sorry, but I don't have an update yet. I'm really, really, really sorry about that. But I do want everyone to know this story isn't dead or anything.  
It's just that I haven't had the time to write lately. I've just moved out of my parents place, so I also had to pick up more hours at work to pay the rent. And I got a boyfriend! Yay for me! XP He's really the sweetest thing ever. But of course, being in a relationship also takes up a lot of my time.  
But the biggest problem is that I haven't had much inspiration lately either, and as long as I don't have the inspiration, I can't write. Not properly anyway. If I tried, it would only come out forced and strained and stiff. It wouldn't flow like it should.  
So I have no idea when I'll be able to write again and I am so sorry about that. I hate to keep everyone hanging like this. As soon as I can spare a moment or two, I'll try to pump up my Dragon/Guardian fanspirit. I just wanted everyone to know that it will take some time.  
Again, sorry, and thank for understanding everyone.

AngelOfTheTwilight out and about.


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